The Beginning of the End
by MollyCoddles
Summary: Harry and his friends have a lot to learn and a long way to go on the treacherous path leading to Voldemort's destruction. Post HBP. HPGW, RWHG, NTRL, CWLL, NLHA
1. So It Begins

_Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine. This story contains elements from JKR as well as many other sources too numerous to list. No profit is being made and no harm is intended.  
_

_**And So It Begins  
**_

Harry sat silently in his seat on the Hogwarts Express, waiting for Ron and Hermione to finish their prefect duties. Ginny and Neville were in the compartment ahead of him, and the look on Ginny's face when he'd walked past had twisted his insides.

_Better to hurt a little now. It'd just be worse later_.

The click of the compartment's door latch startled him out of his reverie. Hermione and Ron stepped inside; Ron had to duck his head to avoid a collision with the top of the door frame.

"Harry," Hermione began hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I wish I had time to ask Dumbledore more questions. And I hate the thought of endangering--"

"Don't even think you're going to leave us behind while you sneak away," Ron interrupted, dropping in the seat across from Harry.

Hermione nodded. "We're coming with you, Harry. Three heads are better than one."

Ron snorted. "I don't know about that 'three heads' thing. Don't you remember Fluffy?"

Harry smiled wryly, recalling the enormous three-headed dog of Hagrid's. In their first year at school, Fluffy had guarded the Sorcerer's Stone. In the end, Harry had stopped Voldemort from procuring the Stone, though he couldn't have done it without a lot of assistance from Ron and Hermione.

The witch came by with the trolley, making Harry realize he was hungry. He reached into his pocket and handed over enough coins for Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, pumpkin juice and pumpkin pasties for the three of them, with plenty to tuck away in his trunk for later. "Gotta keep our strength up," he said grimly. "We've a lot of work ahead of us."

Ron and Hermione shared a quick, relieved glance, and helped themselves to snacks.

Munching a pasty, Harry mentally reviewed the prophecy that made Voldemort attempt to kill him as a baby. "_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

"_What 'power' am I supposed to have?" _he wondered_. "It can't just be the ability to love. What is so special about NOT being heartless and cruel? I'm missing something, some important clue. Why is it my puzzles are always missing several key pieces?" _

"So what do we do first?" Ron queried, interrupting Harry's dark thoughts.

"What? Oh, erm, well... I reckon the first stop is the Dursleys'. Dumbledore wanted me to go there one last time. I've been wondering… I think Aunt Petunia knows more than she ever let on. She knew about Dementors and Azkaban back when Dudley and I were attacked two years ago. She might know more about my mum and dad. Like, where did they live? I mean, I know somewhere in Godric's Hollow, but how do I find the house? Is the Fidelius Charm still in effect? Where are they buried? Of course Aunt Petunia would never tell me voluntarily…"

"But now that we're of age, we can do magic outside of school." Ron grinned wickedly. "We could help you there, Harry."

"Actually," Harry said with no small amount of bitterness, "Since the Ministry has no _reliable_ way of detecting underage magic, if I am with you, I can do magic too. Not that it matters if I'm expelled, since I don't plan on going back to Hogwarts, but I'm not taking any chances on them snapping my wand."

"So how do we go about it?" Hermione asked.

"Too bad the twins haven't invented 'Spill the Beans' beans yet," Ron mused, scratching his long nose thoughtfully.

Harry briefly considered plying the Dursleys with select beverages, but he knew Uncle Vernon tended to get mean after a few brandies, and Aunt Petunia didn't drink. Unfortunately, Veritaserum would take too long to brew.

"I wonder if I could learn Legilimancy," Harry mused. His jaw tightened as he recalled Professor Snape's recent sneering jibes. "Occlumency too."

If he had been able to close his mind properly, Snape would not have been able to block his curses and escape that horrible night.

A fresh wave of anger broke over Harry, as the memory of Snape blasting Dumbledore over the edge of the Astronomy tower flashed in his mind.

"I wonder if Professor Lupin could teach us," Hermione said. "Or Professor Moody. There must be someone in the Order who can do it. I have been reading about it, but I need to practice."

"Speaking of reading, did you find any more R.A.B.s in the library?" Ron asked, snagging another Chocolate Frog from the pile.

"Whoever it was, he must have been a Death Eater," Harry said. "He called Voldemort 'the Dark Lord,' and only Death Eaters use that name. I doubt there's a roster of Death Eaters anywhere, though."

"Maybe not, but I know where to find the next best thing," Hermione said.

"What?"

"That tapestry at Headquarters. It showed generations of Dark wizards!"

The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, formerly the Black family manse, housed--among other things--an extensive family tree of pure-blood wizards and witches. Blood traitors who sympathized with or worse, married, Muggles or Muggleborns had been blasted off.

Knowing how much his godfather, Sirius Black, had detested living at number twelve, Grimmauld Place in London, Harry was not keen to return there, even though Sirius had willed the house to him. He grimaced. "Yeah, that's another place we'll have to go."

"Ah, but the Dursleys' first," Ron said thoughtfully. "Must be about time for Dudley to grow a new tail. Or maybe he would look better as a baboon...?"

Harry grinned. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon might well deserve a good hex or two as well. "We can't all just drop in on them straight off the train, though," he said. "You have to go home with your families for a few days at least. Hermione, any thoughts on how to keep your parents safe? Wards or emergency Portkeys or anything? I hate the thought of them being targets. I wonder if McGonagall has thought to warn the Muggleborn families, especially ones who haven't started school yet. I know the Ministry has ways of detecting magic, and we've got to assume Death Eaters do too."

Harry scowled. "Why does the Ministry waste so much time and energy prosecuting underage magic when there are Death Eaters out there performing illegal curses? I had a warning in my hand within minutes of Dobby's hover charm, and an expulsion threat when I had to fight off the Dementors. They knew about the time I blew up Aunt Marge too. I can't understand why they don't watch for illegal curses and send Aurors. They know Death Eaters are the only ones using Unforgiveables. Somebody needs to revamp their whole bloody system…"

Ron broke into Harry's rant. "Hermione, maybe you could give your parents Portkeys they could wear, like a charm or ring that would be activated somehow."

Hermione's eyes sparkled. "That's a great idea, Ron. And Harry, I've been thinking. Dumbledore said Riddle underestimates things, right? He underestimates youth, love, and things that are common. He hates all things Muggle, and disregards anything to do with them as inferior."

Harry and Ron waited, knowing Hermione's train of thought was always long freight rather than express. She took a breath and continued, "Well, I think we should check into Muggle technology to help us. Muggles have devised ways of living--and dying--quite well without magic. We could use, or even possibly adapt things Muggles use."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

"So we meet at the Dursleys' next week, say, Monday?" Ron queried. "After your uncle leaves for work?"

* * *

Tentative plans made, Harry and Ron started a game of chess to pass the time, while Hermione browsed through one of her huge books. She glanced up at the boys from time to time as the chess pieces engaged in loud and vigorous battles. Finally, she set her book aside. 

"Harry, do you have any kind of strategy planned?"

Harry sighed regretfully as his knight was taken. "I don't know. I've been trying to come up with something. There's just so much to do, I don't know where to begin. Even if we can find all the Horcruxes and destroy them, how do I find Voldemort? And what am I going to do when I find him? Our wands won't work against each other because they were both made from Fawkes' tail feathers. I don't know if I can do the Killing Curse. When I tried to use an Unforgiveable Curse on Bellatrix at the Ministry, she said I had to enjoy causing pain for it to work and righteous anger wouldn't do it."

"No doubt Snape enjoys causing pain; it was no problem for him to use Avada Kedavra on Dumbledore," Ron snarled.

Hermione squeezed Ron's hand. "I've been wondering about that, too," she said hesitantly. "Why did that curse throw Dumbledore over the tower? Avada Kedavra just separates the soul from the body. Propulsion isn't part of the spell, so the victim just falls where he or she is standing."

Ron pulled away from her, incredulous. "What's to wonder about? Snape is just extra evil. Maybe he did a non-verbal throwing spell for good measure."

"Just listen." Hermione held her hands up as if to ward off their anger. "Suppose it's all part of a plan. Maybe Dumbledore _made _Snape kill him. Maybe that's what Hagrid heard them arguing about in the woods."

"You're defending _Snape_?"

"No, no! I just can't believe Dumbledore would let something like this happen. He was too powerful to let any bunch of mediocre wizards defeat him, even without a wand... And he always trusted Snape…" Hermione trailed off, wringing her hands.

"You weren't there, you didn't see it happen," Harry snapped. "Dumbledore was pleading, sliding down against the wall because he was so weak from that Horcrux potion. I couldn't do a thing. Dumbledore put me in a Freezing Charm under the Invisibility Cloak," Harry said miserably. "Why? Why couldn't he let me help him?"

Hermione hesitated, then asked, "What if he didn't want you to help? You said he offered Malfoy and his mother a chance to pretend to be dead, to hide them from Voldemort. What if he faked his death so he could be more effective; so Voldemort would think he was out of the picture?"

"Dumbledore would never run and hide from that evil git," Ron said, bristling.

"No, he wouldn't hide, but… Oh, I don't know, I just can't believe he can be gone," Hermione said sadly. "I keep looking for a loophole…"

"You watch too many soaps on the telly," Harry snapped. "Dumbledore is gone. He's not coming back and we just have to muddle on without him. Besides, even if Snape didn't really use Avada Kedavra and just used Levicorpus to drop Dumbledore off the tower, the fall killed him."

"Not necessarily," Hermione said. "Remember Neville said his uncle dropped him out a window when he was a kid? He just bounced. Wizards can't be killed by common things like gravity. But it might have been enough to satisfy the terms of the Unbreakable Vow Snape made with Narcissa."

Ron rolled his eyes, looking back to Hermione. "So whose body did we bury then?"

Harry lost track of their conversation as it dissolved into bickering. His gaze wandered to the ceiling and his fingers slid to a tiny ring on a thin chain around his neck. Ginny had given it to him by the lake. He replayed the scene, watching her slipping it off her slim finger, Transfiguring a strand of her hair into a chain. She placed it around his neck, her lips meeting his.

Later, when he tried to give it back, she refused. "No Harry, you keep it. I'll always be here for you." The ring tingled in his fingers and he had a sudden impression that there was magic in it. Ever since his excursion with Dumbledore, he felt a sensitivity to traces of magic. Perhaps he'd always had it, and it had just taken Dumbledore pointing it out for him to realize it.

His musings were interrupted by the train whistle, signaling they were nearly at their destination.

"I did it!" Hermione gasped. "I saw into Ron's mind!"

Ron looked suddenly alarmed and his ears glowed red.

"It worked! I saw the Burrow, and Ron's mum, and good feelings, like comfort, and I think I could even smell food cooking!"

"Brilliant!" said Harry, grinning. Noticing Ron shaking his head as if clearing water from his ears, he asked, "Are you alright Ron? I never liked Snape's practice sessions on my brain, they gave me a nasty headache."

Hermione gasped. "I'm so sorry, Ron! I didn't think I'd be able to do it the first try like that, are you alright?"

Ron rubbed his temples. "Just warn me before you do that again, there's stuff in there you shouldn't see, you know. You can't just go bustin' in on a bloke's private thoughts."

"I didn't see thoughts," Hermione said. "Just memories and emotions. And they flew so fast I couldn't make sense of it, really."

They all jumped as their compartment door opened with a snap. "Prefects are to come to the front of the train to prepare for departure," announced Ernie Macmillan.

Hermione leaped to her feet and headed for the door. Ron rose somewhat unsteadily, reaching for the handrail. "Back in a bit," he said to Harry on his way out.

Harry sat alone once again, wondering if there was any way to break into Voldemort's mind as Hermione had just done to Ron. It would be so easy if he could just get in and sift through Voldemort's mind to find the locations of the Horcruxes.

With a hiss of frustration, he unloaded his trunk and took Hedwig down from the overhead storage compartment. He was unloading Ron and Hermione's things when he heard the door clasp snap open. He whirled, wand ready.

Harry wasn't entirely surprised to see Ginny slip into the compartment and shut the door. He glanced over her head to scan the corridor behind her warily.

"Hi," he said finally.

"Harry, I've been thinking," she began. "I'm afraid my answer is an emphatic _'no'_ to your breaking up with me."

"Ginny, you know why--"

"No," she insisted in an imperious voice that sounded a bit like her mum's. "I know, you said you would feel awful if it was my funeral and it was your fault, but how do you think I would feel if it was your funeral, because I hadn't been there to help you?"

She blocked the door and Harry reclaimed his seat. "I cannot just sit at home, waiting for bad news. People aren't any safer in their homes! There are Death Eaters attacking everywhere. We're safer together than apart. At least we can watch out for each other."

Harry's eyes were imploring. "Ginny, you're not even of age! I can't drag you into this. You have a family that loves you, they'll keep you safe."

Ginny scowled. "Are you daft? My family will be one of the first targets! You know Dad has always been recognized as one of Dumbledore's staunchest supporters. Our whole family is considered blood traitors."

Harry dropped his head in his hands. "Ginny, let's talk about this later, please? I just need to think awhile…"

Ginny glared at him steadily, then played her trump card. "Harry, I know you're leaving on some noble quest. If you try to leave me behind, I will come out looking for you. All alone. Death Eaters will be on my trail…"

He flinched, then stood to pace, running his hands through his hair. "Your parents would be devastated. Ginny, I can't do that to them. Listen, I have to be at the Dursleys' for a few weeks. We can think about this later, when I come to the Burrow for Bill and Fleur's wedding."

"We can," Ginny said, her arms crossed and her jaw set. "But there's nothing to talk about. Do you really think you can leave me behind? I have six older brothers who still haven't a clue how I got all my blackmail material against them, or how I stole their brooms. Unlike Tonks, stealth and tracking _are _my specialty. I'm serious, Harry, you are _not _leaving me behind."

Harry groaned, his breath coming out in a huff.

Ginny stepped closer and her arms found their way around his neck as she rested her head on his chest.

"We will talk about this later," Harry said, hesitating only a moment before returning her embrace. "I need you to be safe. We'll find the best way for all of us to come through this alive, okay?"

"Yes," she whispered fiercely. Harry tucked her head under his chin, his fingers absently trailing through her long hair.

"Much as I'd like to sit here and hold you forever, we probably ought to get off the train before it goes wherever it goes for the summer," Harry murmured, glancing at his watch.

"That wouldn't be so bad," Ginny grinned, relief returning the glint of mischief in her eyes. "But heaven forbid I miss the wedding! Mum would go spare."

"Hm," Harry answered noncommittally, already reaching to unload Ron's and Hermione's luggage. "Have you got your things?" he asked. When she shook her head, he offered to help.

"Thanks," Ron gasped as he jogged down the corridor toward them. He and Harry got the trunks loaded on trolleys and proceeded to the platform.

They waited for their turn and slipped through the barrier, unnoticed at the back of the throng. Hermione soon spotted her mum and rushed to give her a hug.

Arthur and Molly Weasley embraced their two youngest children, then Molly reached to give Harry a hug as well.

Harry spotted Uncle Vernon talking animatedly on his satellite phone off to the side. Checking his wand in his jacket pocket, Harry pushed his trolley a few steps towards his uncle before pausing to turn back. He wished he could tell Ginny goodbye in a more private place. He glanced at Ron, whose gaze was fixed on Hermione.

After greeting their parents, the girls hugged the boys and each other. If their parents noticed a few extra whispers, they pretended not to notice. Hermione turned to Harry, pulling something from her jacket pocket.

"Here," she said, stuffing the small package into his hands. "It's a communication watch. I tried revamping the D.A. Galleons, but I thought these might work better. The instructions are inside. Ron and Ginny have them too."

"Thanks! You're a genius, Hermione," Harry said. He only had eyes for Ginny, though, and stuffed the package in his pocket absentmindedly.

Uncle Vernon "ahem-ed" loudly, reminding Harry he didn't have all day. With a quick wave and a sigh, Harry turned to accompany him.

Arthur looked worried. "What if Dursley is a Death Eater in disguise? Harry didn't ask a security question."

Ron glared at Vernon's retreating back. "I think Harry might prefer dealing with a Death Eater."


	2. Bottled Memories

Disclaimer: Still borrowing from JKR.

_**Bottled Memories**_

Harry unpacked his trunk in his bedroom at the Dursleys'. When he finished, he sat on the end of the bed, restlessly twirling his wand between his fingers and pondering what he and Dumbledore had seen in their trips down Pensieve lane.

Voldemort began life as half-blood orphan, Tom Marvolo Riddle. By the time Tom was sorted into Slytherin House, he already had an impressive mastery of his magical power, and used it to torture fellow orphans at the orphanage. He quickly adopted the discriminatory attitude typical of his House: Pure wizard blood was the only kind that mattered. His lust for power grew when he discovered he was Salazar Slytherin's descendant, and he hated his Muggle father for being weak and worthless. He hated all other Muggles by association.

Tom learned how to open the Chamber of Secrets, hidden deep under Hogwarts. He released the monster that lived there, a deadly Basilisk, while still a young student at school. He murdered his Muggle father and grandparents when he was just a teenager. Dumbledore acknowledged him as possibly the most brilliant student to pass through Hogwarts' hallowed halls.

Harry was a good student, but he knew he wasn't brilliant. Thinking back over previous encounters he'd had with Voldemort, he'd been lucky to escape with his life. _My odds are not good,_ he thought, vividly remembering the pain he'd endured. _I can't depend on luck. This time I need a plan.._.

He stood, reaching for a small box from his desk. Professor McGonagall had given it to him while he was packing his trunk before Dumbledore's funeral.

"Potter," the new Headmistress had said, rapping sharply on his dormitory door. "I believe this is yours." She smiled sadly, handing him a large package. "Dumbledore always said he spent an inordinate amount of time returning this cloak to you, and your father before you.

"Please do not open it until you reach your aunt's house," she'd continued. "There are other items inside that Dumbledore wished you to have."

"Thank you Prof--er--Headmistress," Harry had replied, subdued. He'd tucked the box safely in his trunk, nestling it among the socks.

Now Harry untied the package and carefully unfolded the silvery Invisibility Cloak. Wrapped snugly in the folds of the cloak, Harry found a carved bowl he recognized immediately: Dumbledore's Pensieve. His hands shook a little as he set it on his desk. He went back to his cloak and found a small, highly-polished wooden box. Upon opening, he discovered it was filled with tiny phials and a piece of parchment. Picking it up, he instantly recognized Dumbledore's loopy handwriting.

_Dearest Harry,_

_If you're reading this note, you know that I am gone. Please make use of the Pensieve and the memories I have stored for your use in the phials. You may also find it useful for storing your own memories you want to protect from prying minds, or to help order cluttered thoughts. Professor Slughorn will instruct you in its uses if you need assistance._

_You may be seeing more of Fawkes as well. Phoenixes respect loyalty, and he has always responded well to you. _

_I'm sorry that our time together has been short. You are a remarkable young man, and it has been my pleasure to know you._

_With deepest affection,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry's brow furrowed as he scanned the note again. He knuckled his eyes under his glasses before turning his attention to the phials' cryptic labels. As he sorted through them, he found a date that made his blood run cold. He took a deep breath to stop his hands from trembling as he inspected the little bottle, inscribed with his own initials, followed by the date of his parents' deaths.

_Is this... mine?_ he wondered, feeling the bottle warm in his hand, watching the silvery fluid swirl. _Dumbledore must have taken it that night_...

He hesitated, looking from the phial to the Pensieve. Finally reaching a decision, he resolutely stacked the little bottles in the box and packed everything back in his trunk.

_Not today_.

* * *

Monday morning found Harry folding his socks. When he came to the mismatched set from Dobby the house-elf, he felt a familiar tremor. _Magic? Dobby put magic in my socks?_ Puzzled, he set them aside and continued with his task. He gave the worn, over-sized clothing a loathing look. 

He paused when he noticed another tremor. It was the jumper Mrs. Weasley had knitted for him last Christmas. Was he sensing magic because they had used magic to knit? Or was there something more? He made a note to ask Hermione. She would know, after knitting all those elf hats. He set the jumper with the socks.

He turned to Hedwig, an owl treat extended in his fingers. "Hey girl, feel up to a little trip?" The owl shook herself, ruffling her feathers. Harry quickly scribbled a note and attached it to her leg. "Take this to Dobby at Hogwarts, then wait for his response. Be careful, girl," he said, opening his window. She stretched a wing to cuff him affectionately before launching herself through the portal.

Harry glanced worriedly at the empty sidewalk What if Ron and Hermione tried to Apparate here? No, Hermione would be smarter than that. She'd never seen the Dursleys' house, so she would not have a destination reference. He hoped Ron remembered the fireplace was blocked and not suitable for a Floo connection. They could take the Knight Bus, he supposed. Suddenly remembering the communication watch, he lunged for his trunk and began frantically digging for the package.

"I am such a bloody moron! I didn't even worry about a plan for getting Ron and Hermione here safely. How am I ever going to …"

He stopped, hearing quiet voices from outside. He cautiously approached the ledge, wand at the ready.

The sight that greeted him made him weak-kneed with relief. Mrs. Figg was leading Hermione and Ron to the Dursleys' front door, carrying one of her cats. Ginny trailed a few steps behind, her head swiveling like an tourist on holiday.

Harry tore down the stairs, wrenching the front door open before Hermione could ring the bell.

"Come in, don't stand out there like targets," Harry invited, shooing them through the front door.

Mrs. Figg declined. She said she had a potion simmering, and had to get back to stir in the beetle wings.

"Thank you Mrs. Figg. See you later," Hermione said, waving.

"My dad set it up for us to use her Floo," Ron explained as Harry shut the door behind them. "We're going to stay at her house. Bill set up some extra wards at her place while we're there, and the Ministry knows we're here, so they'll expect a few magical, ah, 'occurrences' in the neighborhood. We promised to keep it to a minimum, though."

"Dad didn't think your relatives would be too chuffed to have us move in for a week-long, co-ed magical slumber party," Ginny said with a wicked grin.

"It would almost be worth all these years of living here to see the looks on their faces when you announced that you're moving in with me," Harry said, chuckling.

Hermione made tsk-ing noises at them. "Let's just be nice. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, you know."

Ron looked puzzled. "What do you want flies for, Hermione?"

"It's just an expression, Ronald. Harry, could we meet your aunt, maybe sit down over a cup of tea and have a civil conversation?"

Harry shrugged and muttered, "Yeah, good luck with that." He reached behind his back to snag Ginny's wandering hand, which had been stealthily creeping under his shirt. He heard her snigger softly.

"Let's find Aunt Petunia and get this over with." Harry said. "Then maybe later we can go to Diagon Alley for supplies."

"Oooh Harry," Ginny purred in his ear. "Shopping? You really know how to get a girl excited."

Harry glanced down quickly, alarmed, yet intrigued, before noticing the teasing sparkle in her eyes. He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Ron and Hermione ignored the pair, seating themselves at the table just as Aunt Petunia charged into the kitchen.

"What is the meaning of this?" Pentunia demanded.

Harry stiffened. "Aunt Petunia, these are my best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and my girlfriend, Ginny Weasley."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Dursley," Hermione said, polite to a fault. "Could we bother you for some tea? We'd like to have a little chat."

Petunia glared suspiciously at them all before sitting at the table. Absently, she motioned to Harry, who had already filled the kettle for tea and set it on the stove. He gathered the rest of the tea things, smoothly efficient in his aunt's kitchen, accustomed as he was to working like a house-elf in it.

"Mrs. Dursley, Harry wants to visit his parents' graves," Ron said. "Where exactly would we go to find them?"

"Godric's Hollow," was Petunia's slow, almost unwilling response. "There is a family plot there."

"And where did Harry's parents live?"

"I never visited."

"Where did they work?"

"I really don't know," Petunia replied stiffly.

"So you have no idea what they did for a living?" Ron asked.

"No, of course not, and I don't care to know," Petunia snapped.

"Lily never mentioned a protection charm she might have used on Harry?"

"No."

Without breaking eye contact, Hermione scribbled on a piece of paper and passed it to Ron. He glanced at it, then asked another question.

"So where is the trunk you're keeping from Harry?"


	3. Attic Treasures

All characters and anything worth a knut belongs to JKR._**  
**_

_**Attic Treasures**_

Petunia went white. "T-t-trunk?"

"Yes, a trunk," Ron quizzed. "Perhaps from Harry's mother? Things salvaged from their house?"

Petunia rubbed her temples, glaring. "In the attic," she grumbled finally.

Ginny whispered to Harry how they had worked on Legilimancy interviewing techniques with Lupin and Tonks over the weekend.

Mischievously, her arm slid around his waist and her fingers started exploring again, creeping up under his shirt. Harry's gaze shifted so he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. She smirked.

Ron and Hermione were conversing in low tones. Harry, taking advantage of their inattention, made an uncharacteristically bold move. He followed Ginny's example, gently sliding his fingers under the back of Ginny's shirt. He felt her catch her breath as the tips of his fingers traced the silky curve of her waist. She shivered when he grazed a ticklish spot.

"Oi!" Ron interrupted, "Where's the attic, mate?"

"Oh," Harry blinked. "Er, here, I'll show you." His hand reluctantly left Ginny's waist as he headed for the door. Ron and Hermione rose and followed, leaving Petunia, dazed, to clean up the unused tea things.

In the attic, Harry glanced around. "What are we looking for? I have a good idea of where stuff is, if I know what I'm looking for."

"She had a mental image of a trunk, similar to our school ones, but smaller," Hermione said.

Harry frowned, then pointed to a dark, dusty corner. "That one?" The trunk in question was buried under another heavy trunk and several boxes. Ron pulled out his wand to assist with the excavation, but Hermione stopped him. "No magic, remember? We don't know if Riddle is watching the area."

Harry raised a brow. "Riddle? On a last name basis now, are we?"

"Well," Hermione said. "Professor Dumbledore said, 'Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself,' so, I thought if we called him by his regular old name, it'd help us realize he's just a rotten toe-rag. Plus, Ron doesn't flinch at the sound of it."

"Good thinking," Harry nodded, inwardly marveling at her language. Ron must be rubbing off on her. He squared his shoulders and started shifting boxes.

"Urgh, finally!" Ginny gasped, heaving the last box off to the side. Harry knelt in front of the small trunk and inspected the latch. Puzzled, he looked up at Hermione. "There's no keyhole, and no way to open it. How do you open magical trunks without magic?"

"Let's take it down to your room where we have better lighting," Ginny suggested.

"What would you know about the lighting in Harry's bedroom?" Ron queried suspiciously, darting glances between his sister and his best friend. Ginny rolled her eyes and smacked Ron's shoulder.

"You're such a barmy berk. You know I've never been here before. And even if I had _intimate_ knowledge of Harry's bedroom, it's none of your business!"

Grumbling and bickering with Ginny, Ron followed Harry, carrying the trunk Harry closed his door with a soft _click _and turned towards his bed, where Ron and Hermione were already inspecting the latch of the trunk. Ginny gazed around his room. "Harry, where's all your stuff?" she asked.

"Mostly in my trunk." He gestured to the trunk at the foot of the bed.

"No, your _stuff_, like posters on the walls, old toys… it looks like no one lives here." Ginny said.

"Well, this room used to be full of Dudley's old broken stuff," Harry said. "But then I started fixing some things, and my aunt and uncle got mad that I was using Dudley's old stuff and made me move everything to the cupboard under the stairs. I really don't have any 'stuff' like you're talking about."

Ginny turned and fled the room, her face red.

Harry followed her down the stairs to stop her before she met Dudley. "Ginny, where are you going? What's the matter? I've told you what it was like, growing up here. Did you think I was lying?" Harry asked, still confused by her reaction.

"Well, honestly, I really hoped so," Ginny said, staring at her toes. "I thought maybe it was just that your aunt and uncle showed a preference for their son, and you were a bit jealous. I can't understand how people could be mean to an innocent child. I guess I could understand playing favorites, but... Merlin, what a bunch of arses." She turned and spied a little door, several locks still present on its frame.

"Oh you have got to be kidding," she snarled, flipping them back to yank the door open. She glanced around the interior of the tiny space, taking in the abundance of dust and spiders, then turned and measured Harry with her eyes. "I can't believe it. Those bloody bastards…" She slammed the little door and stomped back up the stairs. "You were serious about getting food through this catflap too?" she demanded, pointing to the small opening in his door.

Harry avoided her eyes. "What else was I supposed to do? When I was in the cupboard, I didn't even know about magic. Even after moving up here, I didn't want to do underage magic and get expelled. The Ministry threatened to snap my wand! D'you think I'd risk my only shot at having a life someday by doing magic here?"

"Merlin, Harry, I'm not upset with you for not trying to save yourself, I'm sorry." She touched his forearm with her fingertips. "I just... Well, at home, we get away with doing a little magic, as long as Mum doesn't see… I didn't realize your every move was under such heavy surveillance. And I still can't believe people can be so utterly horrid. And the Ministry just let them, and no one ever checked on you or anything… Harry, you'd have been better off in an orphanage, but _why _couldn't Dumbledore have given you to our family? Mum would have loved to have you. We all would've."

Harry wiped his hand over his face. She hadn't said anything he hadn't thought of. "Just wasn't in my cards, I guess," he shrugged. "Let's go see if Hermione and Ron are having any luck with that trunk." He sidestepped to go around her back into his room.

She grasped his wrist to stop him. Her arms slipped around his neck as she reached for him on tiptoes. Neither of them heard his bedroom door open.

"Oi!" Ron exclaimed, "I think I've gone blind! It is _not_ right for a bloke to catch his sister and his best mate snogging every time he turns around. Hermione, help me, the blindness has taken me…" He staggered backwards and collapsed on Harry's bed.

"Mate, if you've gone blind, it had nothing to do with us," Harry said. "That'd be due to your own, ah, _handiwork_." The girls dissolved into giggles, as Ron looked at them all suspiciously.

"I don't get it," he said.

"Obviously," Ginny snorted with laughter.

Ron gave them all a mutinous look, folding his arms across his chest. "Let's get back to this trunk here, yeah? Your uncle might come home from work early or something," he grumbled.

Still chuckling, the rest of them turned to the trunk.

Harry turned it to face the light from the window. "Hmm, I wonder… If it's a family trunk, would it only respond to a family member? So for a blood tie, you need… Hang on a sec, I'll be right back." Harry darted out and ducked into the loo, returning with the tip of his finger tipped with a drop of blood. He touched the lock, which snapped open. "Aha!"

"Harry!" Hermione scolded. "You probably could've just licked your finger and used saliva instead."

Harry frowned. "Now you tell me."

Inside, they found several family photo albums, stacks of old letters, a few official documents and a tiny, gold key. "This must go to a Gringotts vault," Harry said, comparing it to his own vault key.

"This must have been their version of a fireproof safe. Probably the only thing left after the house was destroyed," he said quietly, somewhat disappointed. "Maybe there is something at the vault. I have to go there anyway. I'm going to need to make some arrangements so I can move out of here and into Grimmauld Place." He put the vault keys together and tucked them in his pocket before shutting the lid on the small trunk.

"Oh Hermione, I was wondering about these," Harry held up the socks and jumper beside his trunk. "Why do I feel magic in them? Is it the knitting spell or something else?"

Ginny grinned mischievously. "I can tell you that." She grabbed the jumper and snuggled it to her cheek. "Mum knits them with _love_."


	4. Woolgathering

Disclaimer: No money involved in the making of this fanfic._**  
**_

_**Woolgathering**_

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "I need a library!" she exclaimed, an edge of desperation in her voice.

_CRACK_!

They leaped to their feet, wands raised, until they saw Dobby emerge from the other side of Harry's bed.

"Oh great and wonderful Harry Potter, sir! I got your owl message and came right away, kind Harry Potter, sir. Dobby will be delighted to serve in any way he can, sir!" Dobby genuflected.

"Hi Dobby," Harry grinned. "I need a few favors. First thing, and probably easiest, could you get us some food for a few days? Here are some Galleons. The girls can make a list for you. We'll need stuff that is easy to eat and doesn't require cooking or refrigeration. We're trying to avoid using magic because we don't want the Ministry to know what we're doing here."

"Oh yes Harry Potter sir! Dobby would love to fill your list for you!" The little elf hugged himself, seemingly overwhelmed with excitement.

"Thanks Dobby, you're a lifesaver. Next I want to ask about your magic. I know you can Apparate in and out of Hogwarts, which is supposed to be impossible. Could you tell me about your magic sometime? I think you could help us. Voldemort would never think of house-elf magic as a danger."

Dobby bowed so low, the tip of his nose brushed the floor. "Oh great and good Harry Potter sir, you is making Dobby's dreams come true, sir! Dobby has dreamed of helping defeat the terrible and wicked evilness that is thinking he is more powerful than Harry Potter! Dobby will tell you about house-elf magic! And Dobby will help defeat the bad, bad wizards!

"Mostly, house-elf magic help to protect wizard family, and do cooking and cleaning... And sometimes," his ears drooped and his voice dropped fearfully. "Sometimes masters is making us to do bad things..."

Harry grabbed the elf's arm before he slammed his head into the wall. "And you can make socks," he said quickly, hoping to distract Dobby from his determined attempt at self-harm. "What kind of magic did you put in the socks you made me?"

"Ah, Harry Potter, sir, that is a most ancient magic!" Dobby stopped struggling and grinned. "You see sir, socks is special. Socks protect soles."

Harry frowned. "Oh... Right." He cleared his throat and blinked. "Next question: Would the rest of the house-elves help us with the Death Eaters and Voldemort? Would they be willing to lend some of their magical powers to help defend Hogwarts?"

Dobby pondered. "House-elves is not trained to fight battles, Harry Potter, sir. House-elves is bound to their house or master. But if Hogwarts was attacked, house-elves would protect… Dobby will talk to other house elves. It would be a great honor for Dobby to fight alongside Harry Potter, but Dobby cannot speak for the others, sir."

Harry was struck by a sudden inspiration. "Dobby, I'm looking for certain items and I'm wondering if you might have seen them, like at Malfoys' mansion. These items would be full of Dark magic, and probably heavily protected. Do you remember the diary that Malfoy had? The danger you tried to warn me about my second year?"

Dobby's eyes widened. "Dobby will try to help," he said falteringly. "What else is you seeking to find?"

Harry explained the Horcruxes to Dobby, and cautioned him to keep it secret, for his own safety. "We need to find the other magical objects that have parts of his soul, the same kind of Dark magic as that diary, so we can destroy every piece."

"Dobby will think, and Dobby will look for things of Dark magic."

"I don't suppose you can get us some books," Hermione asked wistfully.

"Dobby can bring anything from the library!" Dobby squeaked enthusiastically, clapping his little hands.

"Brilliant! Dobby, you are absolutely brilliant," Harry exclaimed. He grabbed the house-elf in a one-armed hug.

Dobby gazed reverently at Harry. "Anything, Harry Potter, sir, Dobby would do _anything_…"

"Did Hedwig go to the Burrow after she gave you your note?" Harry asked the elf, interrupting his effusive praise.

Dobby nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Harry Potter sir! Dobby told Hedwig that Dobby would go to Harry Potter and Hedwig should go stay at the home of the Wheezys."

"Good work, Dobby. Hedwig will enjoy a little holiday in the country."

Harry asked the girls to make lists for Dobby and took the opportunity to draw Ron aside. "Ron, mate, I need to talk to Ginny," he began, swallowing nervously. "I need her to understand what this mission is about, and why I want her to stay somewhere safe."

Ron nodded. "Maybe you could convince her to stay at Headquarters and find some way for her to help us from there. Research or something. Hermione and I will head over to Mrs. Figg's after dinner and Ginny can stay here with you to talk."

Dumbfounded, Harry could only nod.

Ron sighed, running a hand over his face. "I trust you, you know. And Ginny already made me agree to this arrangement. She said none of us know how much time we have left together, and we need to try to find whatever happiness we can, and spend time with people we care about. And I think she wants to tell your horrible relatives that she's moving in with you." He grinned, looking much like Fred and George.

Harry just blinked. "Erm. Thanks. I'll go grab a sleeping bag so I can kip on the floor." He paused, then turned back to Ron. "Dare I ask where _you_ are sleeping tonight?" He ducked out the door quickly, chuckling to himself over the crimson flush that had flooded Ron's face. He knew they'd started dating in secret right after Ron and Lavender's disastrous breakup; Ginny had told him. He knew they'd decided to keep it quiet because they were prefects, but with school out for the summer, Harry figured they were fair game for a little teasing.

* * *

Dobby's huge, pointy ears wiggled with joy as he grasped his precious lists in one hand. "Dobby will be back as soon as Dobby can, sirs and misses!" 

"No rush, Dobby, we're going to Diagon Alley for a bit this afternoon," Harry said, cringing inwardly at the thought of the elf alone in the house with his relatives. "We have some errands we need to run. We'll meet you back here later."

"Harry Potter is good to Dobby, Dobby is so happy to help!" Dobby's grin stretched ear-to-ear.

"Hermione, do you have a D.A. galleon on you?" Harry asked. "We could give one to Dobby so he'll know when we get back here."

"Oh, Dobby will knows, sir! Dobby always knows where Harry Potter is, sir! T'is part of house-elf magic to always know. T'is like owls' magic to know how to find their masters."

"Do you always know where Ron, Hermione and Ginny are, too?" Harry inquired hopefully.

"Dobby knows where Harry's Weezy is," Dobby indicated Ron. "Because Weezy gave Dobby his most wonderful jumper. And Dobby knows where Weezy's Miss is, because she made Dobby's hats."

"Okay, so you need something from Ginny then?" Harry asked. It would be reassuring to have their own personal elf tracking device, he thought.

"C'mon, cough up." Ron grinned. "He prefers socks."

Ginny gave Dobby her socks, which sent him into another delirium of ecstasy.

Ginny shook her head after Dobby Disapparated. "Should I be concerned that an elf with a foot fetish took my socks and now has instructions to stalk me?"

* * *

The teenagers met Tonks and Lupin at Mrs. Figg's and Flooed to Diagon Alley. Gringotts Bank was the first stop. Ginny liked riding in the carts and accompanied Harry while Ron and Hermione found Bill for a chat. Tonks and Lupin waited for them in the lobby for a few minutes, until Tonks convinced Lupin that he needed to accompany her on an official Auror inspection of a broom closet. 

Harry opened his vault and noticed it was bigger. He asked Griphook about it, and was informed that the goblins had enlarged his vault because of his inheritance from Sirius.

"Ginny, could you come in here, please?" Harry's voice echoed in the vault.

Ginny hesitated, then clambered out of the cart and into the vault. She politely averted her gaze from the piles of gold, silver and bronze coins, tucking her hands in her pockets self-consciously.

"Gin, can you help me with these boxes? I've never seen them before." Harry poked his head out of the vault and addressed their goblin chauffeur. "I'm sorry to keep you, Griphook, do we have a few minutes? And is there a way to get more light in here? I'd use my wand, but I don't want to set off any alarms for doing magic."

Griphook blinked. He nodded at Harry and obligingly lit up the vault for the young couple. Harry thanked him and promised to hurry.

Ginny had opened two small boxes that contained various necklaces, watches and jewelry. "Let's take those," Harry decided. "They might make good emergency Portkeys that people could wear." They glanced through the other trunks and boxes, choosing a few things they thought would be useful, then headed back out to the cart. Harry scooped up handfuls of coins on the way out, filling three money pouches.

He gave Griphook the little key they'd found. "Sir, we, er, found this key in a trunk that belonged to my parents," Harry explained. "Do you happen to know if it's for a vault here? Could we go to it?"

Griphook inspected the key. As he stroked it, a tiny number appeared.

"This is the key to the Potter family vault," the goblin said. "You will inherit the contents when you come of age." The goblin paused. "If you do not remove anything, I could take you to it now, however."

Harry glanced at Ginny questioningly before turning back to the goblin. "Just a quick look then, please?"

The Potter family vault was quite large. There was a trunk containing deeds to properties, more piles of gold than Harry could count, and trunks that seemed to contain things like geneology information and family history, documents pertaining to various investments, and other personal matters. There was a trunk with the Ministry of Magic crest that had Harry's mother's name on it. Harry couldn't open that one, and wondered if he'd need a drop of blood to do so. He supposed if anything else from his parents' house had survived Voldemort's destruction, it had been brought here.

"Well, it's interesting," Harry sighed, "but nothing urgent. Let's head back, I'm starving!"

As the cart rocketed over the tracks at break-neck speed, Harry draped an arm protectively around Ginny's shoulders. She smiled and snuggled closer.

Harry was lost in thought as the cart finally slowed, approaching the mouth of the tunnel that brought them back to the bank's lobby.

With a thoughtful glance at Ginny, Harry asked Griphook if he could talk to him for a moment after the cart stopped. The goblin acquiesced, and brought the cart to a smoother-than-usual halt. Ginny saw Bill, and Harry motioned her over to her brothers and friends. "I'll be right there, I just have a question."

"Griphook," Harry began when Ginny had gone, "what would happen to my vaults if I died? How can I make a will?"

"Ah, yes, young sir," Griphook nodded. "A wise concern. Ragnok would be the one to assist you. I will take you to him."

Harry glanced at his group of friends, pointed at the goblin, and mouthed "_Be right back,_" to Hermione, who nodded.

Harry's meeting with Ragnok left him feeling better. Ragnok advised Harry to appoint Bill Weasley and Griphook as managers of his investments and accounts, and he drew up documents hiring Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks as personal advisors and trainers.

"Very good, trustworthy choices, sir," Ragnok approved. "Now, about a will…"

Harry composed a rudimentary document quickly and signed it, with Ragnok assuring him he could complete a more detailed one at any time and Bill would ensure it was updated. He promised Harry inventory and net worth documents to assist him with his decisions.

"Thank you, sir," Harry said gratefully. "I appreciate you and Griphook taking so much time to help me today."

Ragnok bowed slightly and Harry ducked his head, bowing in return. Goblins didn't seem to be a hand-shaking kind of folk, so he simply returned the goblin's gesture of respect as he left Ragnok's office.

After joining the others, Harry outlined his plans for the afternoon.

"First thing, we need to eat!" Harry grinned as Ron's stomach growled. "Then we're going to do a bit of shopping."

* * *

"Hermione, Tonks, could I talk to you?" Harry asked, handing each of them a money pouch. "I think we will need to split up to run some errands, d'you mind? Tonks, I want to hire you and Lupin as our personal tutors and trainers. Please get yourself and Lupin some spell-protected robes, clothes and an owl if you want. Also, pick up any defence books, Dark detectors, supplies, and anything else we might need. Whether we go back to Hogwarts or not, you can help us pass our NEWTs. I think we need to concentrate on wandless magic, ancient magic, and anything else that could help us take Voldemort down." Tonks nodded. 

"Hermione, you and Ron hit the bookshops and the twins' shop. Ask them if they need any funding to invent protective devices. Buy anything we might be able to use. Maybe you should stop at the apothecary and pick up anything we need there, too. We should have first aid potions and stuff like that. Just buy anything you want. Will anyone need brooms besides Hermione and Ginny? Oh, and where do we get Floo powder? When we're done shopping, let's meet back at Headquarters to drop off the stuff before we go back to the Dursleys'. Say, 4 o'clock then? Is that enough time to get all that done?"

"Right-o!" Tonks nodded. "We'll catch you back at the twelve at four."

"Hermione, do you think your parents would be interested in becoming advisors for the Order? I think we could really use some smart Muggles with connections. And they could stay at Headquarters, which ought to keep them safer than their house…"

Hermione's brow furrowed. "I will check with them. Tonks put wards on the house and office last summer, but I still worry. What did you have in mind for them to do?"

Harry shrugged. "I was actually hoping they'd help with giving us ideas. They're smart and they'll be up on the latest Muggle technology--maybe have some contacts who can help us. Dumbledore said Riddle underestimates what he doesn't understand. I doubt he'd ever lower his standards to learn about Muggles or use anything they made. There are a lot of things in the Muggle world that are pretty amazing. Maybe there's something that'd give us an edge."

Hermione nodded and Harry could almost see the wheels already spinning in her head.

As the others left to complete their errands, Ginny looked at Harry curiously. "So where are we off to?" 

Harry flushed. "I'm fairly sick of wearing Dudley's old castoffs."

"You've never even owned your own _underwear_?" Ginny sounded shocked.

"Well, once I got to Hogwarts, I figured out how to owl order some stuff," Harry muttered, staring off into space, determinedly avoiding Ginny's gaze.

"I'm sorry." Ginny flushed crimson. "You're right, let's just go." She snatched his hand before he could change his mind and hauled him to the nearest clothing store.

The clerk was delighted to assist them, and soon Harry had accumulated a new wardrobe, including new trainers and sturdy steel-toed, dragon-hide boots, charmed to be lightweight and watertight.

Ginny wandered around the store, choosing a few things. Harry insisted she pick up anything she needed, or thought the others could use. With a quiet word to a clerk, her selections were packaged separately, and quickly shrunk in a separate package.

After the clothing store, they moved on to purchase a broom for Ginny before stocking up on Floo powder and owl treats.

* * *

Back at Order Headquarters, they sorted and shared their finds. Harry gave Lupin and Tonks contracts to sign, which required them to live at Headquarters and take a salary. Lupin protested, but Harry eventually brought him around. Ron and Ginny went on a quick inspection of the house, performing quick dusting and cleaning charms as they went. Kreacher had died at Hogwarts, but the lack of his efforts at the house was unnoticeable.

Hermione grabbed Lupin's arm. "The cabinet! Where is the other Vanishing Cabinet from Borgin's shop?"

"Ah, it's here, actually," Lupin answered. "Tonks confiscated it as part of her Auror duties, but didn't take it to the Ministry. She was concerned about who might have access to it there. She and Kingsley wrote up their report as saying it was being stored in a 'secure off-site storage facility.' She thought it might come in useful as a portal between here and Hogwarts. She also put a password on both sides and warded them. We'll show you how to use them later."

"Oh, that was a good idea," Hermione said approvingly. "They could even be used to evacuate either place in an emergency."

* * *

The teens left Grimmauld Place together, taking the Knight Bus to Mrs. Figg's house. After waving farewell to Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny walked to Privet Drive. "No magic, remember," Harry whispered warningly. Ginny ducked under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, so he missed seeing her eyes roll in exasperation. He smuggled her into the house and up to his room, sighing in relief as he shut the door. The male Dursleys were in the sitting room, watching television. Petunia had been in the kitchen, but pointedly ignored Harry when he came in.

"So, Potter..." Ginny let the Invisibility Cloak slide to the floor. "You seem to be pretty practiced at smuggling girls up to your room…" Her tone was light and teasing.

Harry rolled his eyes and drily muttered something about Ginny having plenty of practice sneaking around Hogwarts' corridors. Her eyes narrowed and nostrils flared dangerously. Harry flushed and apologized, fingers running through his hair. "Did you have to date Dean?" he groaned. "You cannot imagine… having to listen to him and Seamus talking about their 'conquests'…" he shuddered.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "All lies. Don't tell me you believed him."

Harry shook his head. "I nicked a pair of Sprout's earmuffs to wear. I Disillusioned them so I didn't have to listen--until I learned the Muffliato spell."

Ginny chuckled and began kneading Harry's shoulders. She slipped her hands under his shirt, then pulled it up over his head and whispered for him to relax and lay down. She pulled the string on her package from the store to expand it and selected a bottle of massage oil. She sniffed it as she poured a bit on her palm. She rubbed her hands briskly together to warm the oil, straddled his waist, then began Harry's first backrub. Slowly, he relaxed under her gentle ministrations. Her fingers and palms kneaded high on his shoulders, ending with her strong thumbs rolling up the back of his neck. He could not recall ever feeling so content and relaxed. Ginny continued, following his spine down, kneading with the balls of her thumbs, heels of her hands, and knuckles, finally sighing and collapsing next to Harry on the bed.

"Mmmmm," Harry sighed. "I never want to move again." He shifted to his side and she immediately took the opportunity to snuggle. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

They dozed lightly until Ginny woke with a start at a noise in the hall. 

"Dudley," Harry whispered. "Shh." He waited tensely until he heard Dudley's door slam.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "We should talk," he muttered reluctantly.

"Yes," she agreed, giving him a defiant look.

Harry told her everything. He explained the Horcruxes, and how the rest of them had to be destroyed before Harry could even attempt to kill Voldemort. He agonized over how many innocent lives would be lost while they searched, and how even Dumbledore had not been able to destroy one without suffering injury. The whole mission seemed hopeless. He pleaded with her to understand that she could not sacrifice her education or safety. She deserved a better life and a better future.

Ginny listened attentively. "I understand how you feel," she said simply when he finally stopped talking to await her reaction. "But I will not sit around twiddling my thumbs. I want to help. We can do this together, but it's going to take a lot of research and planning.We can work from Headquarters, or even Hogwarts. You can't tell me you three are going to be able to fulfill this thing by living on the run. You need resources."

She paced awhile.

"How about this: We all move to Grimmauld Place for the rest of the summer. We need to research a safe way to destroy the rest of the Horcruxes, besides just finding them, and I don't believe it's safe here. We also need a backup plan. I think if you get the chance to take out Riddle before the rest of the Horcruxes are destroyed, you have to do it, and we need to find a way to trap that bit of his soul. There's always the chance that he has more Horcruxes than Dumbledore guessed, and we can't take that risk. I don't think there's any way you can just kill him and think he'll stay dead. We should destroy any other bones of his ancestors he could use to reanimate himself, too. It's difficult when we don't know what other precautions he may have taken towards immortality. Too bad you don't have a pet dementor you could drag around like a Muggle floor cleaner, sucking up his random soul bits.

"Anyroad, when it's time to go back to school, we go. With Lupin and Tonks as our personal tutors, we will all be ready to take the NEWTs by the end of the year. I am already a fair bit ahead of my year, it wouldn't be hard to study and take mine early with the rest of you. We can re-evaluate and proceed from there."

Harry was dumbfounded. He was so relieved to finally unburden everything, and to have her not only accept what lay ahead, but start making plans to help... He was amazed. He wasn't sure what he'd expected her reaction to be, but he was so relieved, he echoed the statement he'd once heard Ron use in a moment of fervent gratitude:

"I love you."


	5. Pleasant Interludes

Disclaimer: I am a nonprofit organization... ;)

_**Pleasant Interludes**_

Harry might have blurted out the words with as little forethought as the first time he kissed Ginny, but judging by her response, it hadn't been a mistake. She had responded in kind, following with an enthusiastic snogging session that left them both breathless.

Ginny finally pulled away, murmuring regrets about the no-magic restriction and their inability to magically lock the door. "Might as well go through some of these books Dobby brought," she said, dragging her fingers through her tangled hair, gathering it back into a ponytail.

Harry scooped up a book from the stack as well. He didn't even note the title before his mind wandered, thinking over the amount of time he'd known Ginny. He winced, thinking of her in the Chamber. _That could've been prevented_, he thought. He had been thoughtless then, not even noticing Ginny's descent into depression--and he'd been terribly reckless in his rescue attempt. _Pure, dumb luck_, he thought, _and I can't depend on that._

Once, he'd privately felt that he had more to gain from death. He would be with his loved ones again: his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore. He cared deeply for his friends, of course, but they had their families. He wasn't overly concerned that they would miss him if he died. Now, however, Harry suddenly realized he _wanted _to survive; to live. It was an unnerving epiphany.

"I'll be right back," Harry said, setting the book aside distractedly. "I have to put in an appearance downstairs."

* * *

"What do you think they're doing over there?" Ron wondered, pacing, peering out windows as if trying to see number four, Privet Drive from Mrs. Figg's library. 

"Probably staring out the windows, wondering what we're doing over here," Hermione said dryly, her gaze trailing over Ron's torso.

They'd decided keep their relationship a secret for awhile, for a multitude of reasons. Not the least of which was that Lavender was Hermione's roommate and Hermione didn't want any more hostility in the dorm. "And we're prefects," she'd explained to Ron. "We have to set an example for the others. It won't do to be caught snogging in empty classrooms. We just need to be discreet, that's all. Besides, you don't really want Fred and George to find out just yet, do you?"

Ron had grimaced and agreed.

The expression had been similar to the one he wore now, still looking out the window.

Hermione wandered over to the bookshelf, selecting a dictionary.

"Ron, come here, please," Hermione commanded.

He scowled, eyeing the heavy tome. "What's that for?"

"I want you to read to me," Hermione said, her expression innocent.

Ron's eyebrows rose in eloquent disbelief. "Uh, you realize that's a dictionary?" He gave her a hard look, as though watching for marbles dropping out of her ears. "And you seem to read fine on your own," he added suspiciously.

"Yes, of course!" Hermione smiled, fixing an adoringly appealing expression on her face. "I find dictionaries to be very _stimulating_ reading." Ron looked confused, so she continued. "And I really _enjoy_ being read to. It's so _relaxing_, don't you think? Like a long, warm, bubble bath." She stretched luxuriously, eyes closed, fingers running through her hair. Her arms stretched her snug t-shirt even more tightly across her chest.

Ron picked up the dictionary.

"_Struthious_," Ron read, choosing a word at random. "_Of or relating to the ostriches and related birds. _

"_Strychnine: a bitter poisonous alkaloid that is obtained from nux vomica and related plants and is used as a poison for rodents and medicinally as a stimulant to the central nervous system…" _He chanced a look up at Hermione and hastily turned back to the book, smirking.

"Oi, Harry's picture should be here for this one. _Stubborn: unreasonably or perversely unyielding, mulish. Justifiably resolute. Performed or carried on in an unyielding, obstinate or persistent manner. Difficult to handle, manage or treat. Lasting._

"Hey, here's one for me: _Stud…_"

The book hit the floor with a _thunk _as Hermione pounced.

* * *

Harry entered the Dursleys' kitchen, ever-mindful of Ginny's presence in his upstairs bedroom. The house was far from soundproof, and he desperately hoped he could slip away without a scene. 

"Aunt Petunia," he began. "I'm not feeling well, I'm just going to go to bed, if that's alright."

"Fine."

He ducked out of the kitchen and back up to his room, relieved beyond measure. Ginny was sitting on the far side of bed, her back to the door, fiddling with her communication watch.

"Let's give Ron something to think about," she said, turning to face him.

"Oh you are dead sexy when you're scheming," he grinned. "What have you got in mind?"

"Well, that comment would be sure to bring him over here at a gallop, if he overheard you," she said. "Let's set our watches on 'Do Not Disturb' and see what happens."

"I haven't even opened mine yet." Harry dug in his trunk until he triumphantly pulled the small package out. "Show me how it works?"

"Easy." Ginny motioned to the bed where they sat close together, examining their wrists. "See, here is the dial that has the Protean Charm. I can manually set mine to say 'Sleeping' and it will change my hand on each of the other watches. See, look at yours."

Sure enough, there was a tiny hand on Harry's watch with Ginny's name that swiveled to point to 'Sleeping'.

"Hermione made them like Mum's clock," Ginny said. "But the difference is how we can set them manually and use them to communicate." She pointed at the various dials. There was one for Home, Message, Sleeping, Do Not Disturb, HQ, Traveling, Injured, Battle Mode and Summon. "She can add more, as we need them," Ginny continued. "If one of us turns it to Summon and uses the incantation '_Antiportus'_ it can Portkey someone back to the summoner. In Battle Mode, it monitors life signs and will automatically Portkey the wearer to St. Mungo's in case of serious injury. Hermione is totally brilliant, she really outdid herself with these."

"Imagine if she became a consultant for the twins," Harry said, awed.

"Scary thought." Ginny grinned. "If you tap it with your wand, it works like a regular watch and tells time. It will glow blue if it has a message and is also a Dark Detector, glowing red if it detects Dark magic in the vicinity."

"How does the 'Message' thing work?"

"Oh that part is my favorite!" Ginny's dark eyes sparkled as she showed him how to send and receive messages on the device.

"Okay, so the 'Do Not Disturb' setting means no messages, no summons and no interruptions?" Harry questioned.

"Yes," Ginny smiled. "Although in case of an emergency, the watch will flash red."

Harry fiddled with his watch. "I think it's my turn to rub your back," he murmured, reaching for the massage oil.

Ginny grinned to herself as she turned her back to him. With one smooth motion, she pulled her shirt over her head before stretching out on the bed. Harry thought he might have swallowed his tongue. He'd had dreams of Ginny in a bikini that involved him applying sunscreen potion... Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he poured a little oil on his hands and began, gently and hesitantly. He marveled at the silken texture of her skin as he stroked her shoulders and the back of her neck. He covertly tried to inspect the back of her bra strap, wondering how it opened. As if he dared. Hook and eye closure, he noticed. _Can't really make it look like an accident if that came apart,_ he thought.

"Take it off, please?" Harry couldn't believe his ears and paused in his ministrations. "It's itchy, and it's in the way, just unhook it, please," Ginny repeated when he didn't obey immediately. Harry's fingers felt as if they'd all been Transfigured into thumbs when he finally moved to comply. Regaining control of his trembling fingers, he managed to outsmart the closure. He ran his hands up and down the full length of her back. Her skin glowed with the oil he'd rubbed in and his fingers tingled, as if he could feel her magic right through her skin. When he realized she'd dozed off, he slipped out of his room and into the loo. He quickly got ready for bed and darted back to his room when he thought he heard the stair creak.

He fiddled with his watch for awhile, sending notes to Hermione and Ron. He tried skimming through some of the books Dobby had brought, but he was too distracted by the topless beauty in his bed. He wondered if he should wake her, or just let her sleep. Deciding on the latter, he placed one of his new shirts on the nightstand next to her. He wasn't sure what she wore to sleep in, but didn't want to invade her privacy by rummaging through her knapsack. He hoped his shirt would do. He unrolled the sleeping bag on the floor, but hesitated, glancing back at the bed. What if she was frightened and disoriented when she woke? He made up his mind, flipping off the light switch before cautiously crawling on the bed next to Ginny. He lay on his left side, facing her, watching her sleep. He reached out, smoothing her soft hair away from her face. He drifted off to sleep, fingers still wound in the ends of her silky tresses.

Ginny awoke to a dark, silent house some time later. She sat up and noticed Harry's shirt folded neatly beside her on the nightstand. She pulled it over her head and flipped her hair out of the neck so it cascaded down her back. She stood up and slid out of her jeans, the shirt almost to her knees. She stretched and silently headed for the door, returning a few moments later. The moonlight from the window provided enough light for her to see Harry's face as he slept, facing her. She gently kissed the scar on his forehead and ran her fingers through his unruly hair. She slipped into bed next to him, turned her back to him, snuggling as close as she dared. His arms seemed to automatically reach for her, tucking himself around her.

In the morning when Harry awoke, he thought he was still dreaming. Ginny was sleeping, soft and warm in his arms. He hated to move, but if he didn't get up now, Uncle Vernon would come looking for him.

He frowned. He didn't want any of the Dursleys poking their nose in his room while he showered. While debating the wisest course of action, he noticed his watch glowing faintly blue. Harry sat up on the edge of the bed to check his messages, smirking at the note from Ron:

* * *

_To: Harry  
From: Ron  
Re: Sleeping arrangements  
Hope that sleeping bag was comfy._  
_ Mrs. Figg's couch smells of cabbage.

* * *

_

Harry couldn't resist. He hit 'Reply.'

_

* * *

To: Ron  
From: Harry  
Re: (2) Sleeping arrangements  
What sleeping bag?  
Ginny smells way better than cabbage. And she looks damn good in my shirt.

* * *

_

Ron was going to kill him, he thought gleefully. He almost chuckled out loud, imagining the look on Ron's face.

He touched a reply from Hermione to a note he'd sent the night before.

_

* * *

To: Harry  
From: Hermione  
Re: Watches  
Thanks Harry! I did put a lot of work into the watches, I'm rather proud of them, actually. I will talk to the twins about getting a patent. They do have security charms on them also, and can only be used by their owners. It would be a good idea for the Order members and certain trusted people to have them. Perhaps later we could pop over to HQ and see Prof L.  
Don't let Ron harass you about sleeping arrangements. The only reason he knows the couch smells like cabbage is because he was looking for his wand in the cushions. ;)

* * *

_

Harry idly wondered if Hermione had found that pygmy puff tattoo Ginny claimed Ron had. He snickered, wondering just how macho a Hungarian horntail would look on his chest.

"What's so funny?" Ginny sat up on the bed, looking appealingly rumpled. Harry's imagination had been correct. His shirt _did_ look good on her.

"Erm, I'm off to the shower then," he said, hoping his voice stayed even. "You might want to hold on to the Invisibility Cloak, in case any of the Dursleys decide to get nosy. Keep your wand out."

* * *

Ron was not having a good morning. Harry's message had him in a frenzy. "I'll kill him! Riddle will just have to take a number! Damn him! That bloody bastard!" 

Hermione just rolled her eyes. "Ron, can't you tell when Harry is joking? He's messing with you." She grinned. "You know, Ron, I bet Harry has never had _the talk_. He probably doesn't even know the practical applications of the whole process. Perhaps you and he should have a little heart-to-heart."

Ron's expression was horrified. Hermione laughed until tears ran down her cheeks. She was still gasping for breath and breaking into spontaneous giggles when her watch glowed blue.

_

* * *

To: Hermione the Genius  
From: Harry's well-rested girlfriend  
Re: Thanks  
You were spot on with the advice about backrubs and massage oil! Tell Ron I'm wearing Harry's shirt and nothing else, just to see what he says.  
Harry went to take a shower. I think he was distracted though, he didn't take any clothes along to change into. Suppose I should be good and keep my eyes closed when he comes back in wearing nothing but a towel?  
Shall we meet at HQ for breakfast? You can demonstrate the watches for T and R by summoning us_.

* * *

"Oh never mind, Ron, Ginny says she'll take care of Harry's education," Hermione said cheerfully. 

Ron made a gagging noise and headed for the loo.

_

* * *

To: Well-rested  
From: Who needs sleep?  
Re: (2) Thanks  
Great plan. Send a note when you're ready and we'll summon you to HQ. Bring food, I'm sure Ron is starving. Unless he's still sick at the thought of you and Harry and why you're wearing Harry's shirt!

* * *

_

Hermione Side-Along Apparated Ron to the park near number twelve. After carefully checking around, they approached and rapped smartly on the door. Tonks let them in. "Where are Harry and Ginny?"

Hermione launched into the description of the watches she'd designed, demonstrating the various features and answering their questions. Finally, her watch glowed blue. "They're ready," she said. "Ron, you summon Ginny, I'll get Harry."

Within seconds, Ginny and Harry were before them, carrying knapsacks.

"I haven't had my shower yet," Ginny told Hermione. "I'll just dash up and finish getting ready. Harry has the breakfast stuff in his pack."

Harry's eyes gleamed with suppressed mirth when he saw Ron glowering at him. "Sorry mate, I couldn't resist tormenting you just a bit. You trust me, remember?"

Ron just shook his head. "Someday, I hope you have children just like yourselves," he said dryly. "But you better make sure that 'someday' is a long way off."

Harry looked startled before frowning. "Yeah, you too, mate."

The group worked together in the kitchen, eating breakfast and cleaning up. Ginny mentioned her ideas and Harry explained the Horcruxes to Tonks and Remus. Ginny asked if a dementor or the veil at the Ministry could be used to destroy the Horcruxes. Hermione enthusiastically took notes.

Harry asked Lupin if there was any way to make a soul detector. Dobby had got him thinking. If house elves and owls had a type of magic that allowed them to find their owners, perhaps they could design something that would seek out the bits of Voldemort's soul hidden in the remaining Horcruxes.

"Like a niffler hunts shiny things," Ron said thoughtfully. "Fred and George should be here. They have more experience inventing impossible things like that."

"Good call," Ginny said. She took a pinch of Floo powder and proceeded to contact the twins.

"We wanted to show them Hermione's watches anyway," Ron said.

Ginny seemed pleased that everyone was supportive of her idea to stay at Headquarters for the summer. Hermione in particular seemed relieved with the suggestion. Tonks patted Ginny's shoulder, saying Molly would be proud that she wanted to study all summer and take NEWTs a year early.

Harry planned to involve as few people as possible, but Lupin argued that part of his gift, the power Voldemort knew not, was not just his ability to love, but his ability to inspire love, loyalty and honor. He could lead an army into battle because people believed in him. Voldemort's terrorist tactics and cruelty inspired only fear. Hopelessness and despair were nothing to fight for, but they were forces worth fighting against. "Harry, you are not alone, regardless of what the prophesy said."

"No, this can't be public knowledge." He paced nervously. "Voldemort and Snape are too good at Legilimancy. Anyone who knows about this is in danger, and that puts the rest of us in more danger as well. I think the first thing we all need to do is learn Occlumency. It doesn't matter if you would die before betraying your friends. Those bastards can take stuff right out of your skull. We all need to learn to defend ourselves mentally, and so does anyone else we decide to inform."

"Fred and George will be alright with only knowing partial information for awhile," Ron said. "After they learn Occlumency, we can tell them the rest."

Harry stood at the table. "Right then. Let's call a meeting of the Order."  



	6. Physics Lessons

Disclaimer: it's JKR's.

* * *

_**Physics Lessons**_

Hermione Flooed back to Headquarters before the meeting, landing neatly. Ron and Harry recognized the look of rabid excitement on her face.

"You've been to a library, haven't you," Ron said. "Got your book fix for the afternoon, have you?"

"No, Ronald," Hermione retorted. "I have _not_ been to a library. I visited my parents."

Ginny looked amused as the boys exchanged dubious looks. "So how was the bookshop, then, Hermy?"

Hermione's nostrils flared in high irritation. "Hmpf." She turned on her heel, threw her hair over her shoulder and stalked off to her favorite armchair by the fire.

She pulled out a Muggle Physics textbook to read, pausing to make a few notes here and there, particularly on a section about energy and thermodynamics.

Realizing the room was empty, she climbed the stairs in search of her friends.

Hermione found them in the ballroom, practicing defensive hexes and dueling with Tonks and Lupin.

"Sorry to leave you alone down there," Ginny offered as they watched Ron and Harry, back to back, fending off their attackers while protecting each other. "You seemed pretty involved. You haven't missed much here, Tonks just showed us some moves she learned in Auror training. She's going to teach us those, too. Mum would probably call it Muggle dueling, but Tonks said it's called 'martial arts.' I guess doing strong magic takes a lot of energy, so the better shape we're in, the better our chances are."

Tonks stumbled and accidentally Stunned Lupin, so they decided to take a quick break and switch around a bit.

"Hermione and Ginny, feel up to taking on the boys?" Tonks grinned playfully.

"No way!" Ron protested, "I'm not fighting girls!"

"How about you and Hermione against me and Harry then?" Ginny suggested, eyebrows arched. "I know you have no compunctions about hexing _me_!"

"Ha!" Ron snorted. "Payback for those nasty messages you sent me! _En garde_!" He assumed a fencing stance.

Harry discovered, to his surprise, that he and Ginny made a very good team. Harry's quick Seeker reflexes and protective instincts meant he could throw out shields in a blink, while Ginny's stealth, accuracy and ruthlessness made her a deadly adversary. She hit Ron with a Body Bind curse, then while Hermione turned to help him, Ginny hit her with a Tickling Jinx.

Tonks and Lupin moved up to take Ron and Hermione's places. They endeavored to separate the two, but after several minutes the battle continued. Finally, Lupin used _Levicorpus_ and had Harry struggling upside down. Ginny conjured a quick Shield and hoped Harry knew the counter charm to release himself. He was still casting spells while dangling from the ceiling, but his accuracy was impaired. As a last resort, he closed his eyes and conjured his Patronus.

"Hey, Professor, what happens if a Patronus catches you?" He grinned, directing his stag. Ginny quickly cast her own and sent it after Tonks. Tonks stumbled and Ginny's Patronus hit her, vaporizing as it collided.

Tonks froze as though hit by a Stunner. Lupin hastily dropped Harry from the ceiling, and Harry's Patronus faded away. Hermione and Lupin rushed to Tonks, swiftly checking her vital signs.

Ginny wrung her hands, apologizing profusely. Lupin reassured her that Tonks would be perfectly fine, she was just overwhelmed with joy at the moment.

"That must have been a good memory!" Remus smiled at her. "It takes a strong Patronus to knock somebody for a loop like this."

Ginny blushed. "Did she see the memory I used?"

"No, I don't think so." Remus winked. "If she did, you have my permission to Obliviate her. If it was that good, I don't want her to get jealous."

Harry cleared his throat. "So, Hermione, let's hear your book report for today."

"Oh that's right!" she gasped. "I need some help with an idea. Anyone familiar with physics?"

Harry shrugged, mumbling something about primary school, while Ginny and Ron looked puzzled. Lupin nodded.

"Well, we know Voldemort turns his nose up at anything Muggle, so I'm sure he never took time to understand the basic Muggle explanations for how the world works. Now we know that magic is a form of energy, right? The first law of thermodynamics says energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or converted. Most importantly, living systems will break down unless they have some input of energy."

Hermine's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Don't you see? If we can find out what a wizard's source of magical energy is, we can find a way to cut it off. _'The system will break down unless they have some input of energy'_." She struggled to make them understand. "If we can stop the source of a wizard's magical energy, his system will break down, right? Harry, you don't have to kill Riddle if we can find something to stop his magical energy.

"Now I know we're training for battle here," she continued. "But we know the enemy doesn't fight fair. I think we need some new tactics, while we're looking for a key to magical energy. Let's create some spells that they won't know how to counter. I'm looking for a spell that converts magical energy, maybe using Muggle physics. Maybe we could find some American spell books, because let's face it, Voldemort probably considers himself so superior to American wizards that he would never stoop to learn any kind of counters to their spells. I know some of the ancient Native American wizards were extremely powerful, and we all know it's harder to block or counter spells you aren't familiar with."

Ron's eyes narrowed. "It's like Quidditch. The team with the best trained players and least predictable playing strategies will win every time."

"Oh, and Harry," Hermione turned to him, "I think the reason you got some of Riddle's powers is because his energy was expelled when your mum's spell rebounded on him. His energy passed through you, and transferred some to you. Parseltongue stuck because language synapses were forming in your brain at that age. It's hard to say what else may have stayed with you. That is a time of incredible brain growth and development in a child."

Harry nodded. "I wonder what the significance is now that he has my blood? My mum's blood protection kept him and Quirrell from even touching me when I was eleven, but in the cemetery after the Triwizard Tournament, he could, because he had used my blood for his body. In fact, he said it gave him the same protection. So is the blood protection at the Dursleys' still working? And what is the protection, exactly? Would it protect me from another Killing Curse? You're right, Hermione, I doubt that I could ever use that curse, even–or maybe especially–against Voldemort. I doubt I could cast it strong enough, and even if I could, it might not work against him, possibly even rebound on me."

He sighed, then smiled at Hermione. "You really are brilliant. I know you won't rest until you find a way–or probably several ways. Hey, what was that thing about combined poisons that Slughorn said? The sum is greater than the whole of its parts? That's like us. Individually, we couldn't do it, but together, we'll make the team that'll bring down that snake-faced bastard."

"Like the Sorting Hat and its unity speech," Ron nodded. "If the other three houses ganged up on Slytherin, they'd win."

"Erm, no, not exactly, Ron," Ginny said. "The Sorting Hat doesn't say Slytherin is always bad. It always mentions good qualities. I think it means finding good people from all houses."

"But the bad ones always come from Slytherin," Ron argued.

"You think Pettigrew was in Slytherin?" Harry queried. "I think anyone can give in to temptation or fear, regardless of house. That bloody hat wanted to put _me _in Slytherin. If I hadn't met you on the train, I wouldn't have known any better and might not have argued with it. Still, I'd like to think even if I had landed there, I'd still be me."

"It wanted to put me there too," Ginny whispered, eyes downcast. "Maybe because I had already started writing in the diary by then."

Harry reached for her hand, pulling her to his side firmly.

"I think being sorted into Slytherin is sort of a self-fulfilling prophesy," Hermione said. "They could be perfectly normal kids being sorted, but once they get in there, it's the way they're treated. People expect them to be mean and devious and spiteful, and everything they do is coloured by that perception. And think about the ones who grow up Slytherin. Like Malfoy, for instance. He's always been an arrogant berk, raised and trained to become a Slytherin Death Eater with no mercy. And yet when it came down to it… he couldn't hurt Professor Dumbledore when they were face-to-face. Imagine his punishment. I wonder if he's still alive... It's weird to feel sorry for him, but think of how he grew up, he never really had choices. They were made for him."

"Everyone has choices," Harry said stubbornly. "Sirius was raised the same way, but he didn't turn out like Malfoy."

"So you think we need the best qualities from all houses to make the best team?" Ginny asked, diverting the conversation to a safer topic. "Didn't you say the hat considered you for Ravenclaw?"

"Ginny would have to be the Hufflepuff," Ron smirked. "Loyalty is their thing, and Ginny's been loyal to Harry since she was about five. I'd have to be the Gryff, I don't fit anywhere else."

"That leaves me as the Slytherin," Harry said, "because of the Parseltongue thing, I guess."

They continued teasing each other as they all trooped downstairs where they found Fred and George emerging from the Floo. 

Fred dropped to one knee and took Hermione's hand. "After seeing your communication devices, we've decided we are in love. Marry us, please," he begged. "Your intelligence is matched only by your beauty."

George shoved him over and eagerly took her hand, "Yes, marry us! Think of the possibilities!"

Hermione giggled and flushed. Ron snorted and pushed George over. "Shove off, you idiot savants. Your 'possibilities' would give her nightmares and have her committed to St. Mungo's long-term care ward."

"What's this?" Fred feigned outrage. "Have we competition for the object of our affections? Ickle Ronnikins, do we detect a note of jealousy, perchance?"

"Why Fred," George pretended to study their younger brother, "I believe you could be correct. Ronnikins has noticed that Hermione is, in fact, female. What think ye, Sherlock? Perhaps Ronnie would benefit from our sage advice and wisdom. Harry can join us."

"Elementary, my dear Watson," Fred agreed. He grabbed Ron while George grabbed Harry and dragged them off toward the kitchen.

Lupin asked Tonks to stay with the girls to rest from her Patronus collision while he set up for the meeting.

Tonks pulled both girls to a secluded corner and cast _Muffliato_ to keep their conversation private.

"Listen, ladies," she began seriously. "I know these are desperate times, but that doesn't mean we can be irresponsible. Now you both know about contraceptive charms and potions, right?" Both girls flushed, and Hermione finally nodded.

"I, er, looked them up, just in case…" she whispered, embarrassed.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, you know," Tonks continued matter-of-factly. "It's a part of life and being a responsible adult. Now I imagine Molly wanted to have this little talk with you, Ginny, though maybe not for a few years, and probably not until just before your wedding night." She winked. "But sometimes these things are easier to talk about with an older sister type person. I know if times were different, you'd both be giggling about what to wear on your next Hogsmeade trip, but when we all know the hands on our clocks are pointed at 'Mortal Peril...' Well, priorities change."

The casual look on Tonks' face turned stony. "The other reason I mention it is more disturbing. There have been rumors that Voldemort may carry on some of Grindelwald's plans. Grindelwald captured young, pure-blood witches as 'broodmares' for his male followers. He called it 'species purification.' Word has been spreading, and with some well-timed articles in the Prophet, perhaps Voldemort will give up on that particular angle. It wouldn't be effective to waste his Death Eaters by capturing women who use a Chastity Belt charm, for example. The Prophet will be coming out with instructions for the charm, as well as other spells for basic self-defense."

The girls gaped at her, aghast.

Ginny recovered first. "What does the Chastity Belt charm do?"

"Well, it's sort of like applying the Fidelius charm to certain parts of your anatomy, but with a vicious burning hex built in as well," Tonks explained. "Definitely effective for warding off unwanted advances. The thing is, you will want to do the charm on yourself, because only the caster can cancel it. If someone else cast it on you and he or she died, it cannot be removed. It's even useless for them to attempt to torture women into removing it, as you have to be in the right, ah, _mood_ to perform the counter charm. The Ministry thinks if it becomes common practice for all women to use it, the Death Eaters will stop kidnapping witches."

"Wouldn't most women rather just have a baby than fight?" Ginny asked. "A baby sounds better than torture and death."

Tonks regarded her carefully. "How do you think that baby would get in there, Gin? We're talking rape, you know. Forcible rape. Then imprisonment during pregnancy. I suppose pregnant women have to be treated somewhat better than their average prisoners, but I doubt it's a picnic in the park.

"Right, so then the babies are born. Do you think they would let them stay with mothers who might love them, regardless of method of conception? Not a chance. They won't allow any kind of influence like that. They would immediately take the babies away so the mother can be impregnated again. The babies would be raised on Growth Potion and trained as an army for Voldemort. Personally, I'd rather risk death than a life like that. I'll take my chances with the Chastity Belt charm. As a bonus, it protects the internal organs from most curses, like the Barren Curse that the Death Eaters have used on Muggleborn or half-blood women, or from someone else trying to cast the Chastity Charm on you. They don't want the 'wrong type' reproducing, you see."

Eyes wide with horror, both girls quickly mastered the spell, applying it immediately.

Tonks and the girls discussed various other methods of being responsible, which turned into a rather humorous discussion spanning the general topic.

"Harry is probably clueless, so Remus is going to talk to him. Anything he learned is most likely out of one of his roommates' smutty magazines. Poor kid, can you imagine how that conversation will go?"

"Remus could take Harry back to the Dursleys' tonight after the meeting to get the rest of his stuff and talk to him there," Ginny suggested. "Then he can tell the Dursleys 'good riddance' once and for all. If there's even a chance the blood protection is not effective anymore, he shouldn't stay there. Especially with Dumbledore gone. He never should have gone there at all." Ginny shook her head.

"Good plan," Tonks nodded, "I'll go help Remus… Why don't you ladies rescue your boyfriends and have a quick snack before the meeting starts." She winked. "Eat slowly though, I rather enjoy helping Remus…"

Ginny grinned at Hermione after Tonks left, then pulled two pair of Extendable Ears from her pocket. "Perhaps we should see just what our boys are learning, shall we?"

"Harry's going to have to be our resident Hufflepuff. You really should have been a Slytherin!"

Ginny just grinned and shushed her as they put the Ears against the door.

* * *

"Well, that was a waste of time," Ginny sighed. "We would have learned more by spying on Tonks and Professor Lupin upstairs." 

Hermione snorted. "I think whatever they're doing up there would have melted these things right through the door."

Ginny's eyebrow arched in scornful disbelief. "C'mon, they're old! And Lupin? He's such a… professor!"

Hermione smiled, "Ahh, young Grasshopper, you have much to learn. Still waters run deep."

Ginny gave Hermione a dubious look. "Please tell me you're bragging about yourself and not about some deep, dark, personal knowledge you have about your former professor. Common fantasy, I've heard--that teacher-student thing--but honestly Hermykins, the ick factor there is through the roof. That may even be worse than my visual image of you and Ron in the shower."

Hermione sputtered, "What? Shower? We've never… We wouldn't… That's just… Hmmm…" Her gaze turned speculative.

"Ack! Stop that!" Ginny shrieked, laughing. "You're going to give me nightmares."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Then stop calling me Hermy! Now, let's go Floo your mum and ask her to bring Crookshanks and the owls when she comes tonight. I need my furry little bedwarmer."

Ginny shuddered. "I said _stop _that, you sick, twisted perversion of womanhood. Oh, wait, did you mean Crookshanks? I thought you were talking about Ron… _oof_!"

Hermione elbowed Ginny in the ribs before tossing a bit of Floo powder into the fireplace. "The Burrow!"

Ginny giggled behind her. "Wait til I tell the twins about Hermy's little pet name for Ronnikins."


	7. Divine Discoveries

Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing. The religious information contained in this chapter was merely to draw some interesting parallels, not meant as any kind of conversion or blasphemy. It is certainly not a main theme.

* * *

_**Divine Discoveries**_

The meeting of the Order of the Phoenix went as well as could be expected. Ron, Hermione and the twins officially joined. Hermione had come up with a new roster, based on her old D.A. invention. For the Order, however, instead of painful pustules for disloyalty, anyone revealing anything about the Order would be _Silencioed_ instantly and Transfigured into a diricawl. Then they would be Banished to the Hogwarts owlery, where they could be dealt with accordingly. This seemed an ideal solution, because they would not be able to divulge sensitive information, even under torture, and would have a ready-made escape route from Voldemort's clutches. Invisible birds were notoriously difficult to catch, after all.

Harry knew he would not be allowed to officially join until his birthday, but he and Ginny signed the roster in the interest of safety, and attended the meeting.

"Woo hoo!" Ginny grinned. "We're Junior Phoenixes! I'm gonna get some badges and start selling cookies."

Tonks did most of the talking for the teens, presenting their suggestions to the group. Surprisingly, Molly and Arthur did not protest Ginny's ideas. They seemed resigned to her joining Ron, Harry and Hermione at Headquarters for the summer, and taking NEWTSs with them at Hogwarts.

McGonagall also did not argue with the proposed change in curriculum for the teens. Harry told her in no uncertain terms that he would not return to Hogwarts otherwise. Though she didn't know the exact nature of the mission he was on for Dumbledore, she did know about the prophecy. Keeping him safe within Hogwarts' walls as long as possible seemed the least she could do, she said. "I will do what I can to bend the rules without seeming to give you special treatment. If that provides assistance in ridding the world of Voldemort, I shall consider the rules well bent."

She said Ron and Hermione would be Head Boy and Girl and have rooms away from their dorms and be expected to miss some classes. She also proposed reintroducing the D.A. Harry, Ginny, Lupin and Tonks could head up the group. Planning sessions would give them an excuse to be absent occasionally as well. She complimented Hermione on the roster she'd designed, saying she did her house proud.

* * *

After the meeting, Harry and Lupin went back to the Dursleys' to collect the rest of Harry's things. While Harry packed up his room, Lupin had shot of Firewhiskey, and broached the subject Tonks had brought up with the girls earlier, but concentrated more on the practical applications. Harry had been distracted and really not listened to the first part of the conversation, but when he finally clued in, he was shocked and mortified. Lupin did his professorly best, keeping his voice professional and clinical, but when he started drawing diagrams, Harry covered his eyes with his hands and peered between his fingers. After Lupin finished his tutoring session, he gave Harry a shot of Firewhiskey, and had another one himself. 

Finally, Harry had packed up all his belongings and took a last glance around the house while Lupin explained to the Dursleys that the blood protection would probably be wearing off on Harry's birthday, if it hadn't already, and they may want to relocate. Harry held up a hand to wave as they walked out the door but stopped when he spotted Vernon and Dudley trying to dance for joy in the kitchen. Petunia gnawed on her nails and glared at him. The hand he had thought to use in a gesture of farewell dropped to his side and turned instead into a two-fingered salute hidden against his leg.

"Let's go."

His conscience clear, Harry felt free. It reminded him of his first flight on a broom. Remus sent his trunk ahead and Side-Along Apparated Harry back to Grimmauld Place, where the others were congregated in the library, scanning the titles for anything helpful.

* * *

Harry joined Ginny, watching Ron and Hermione bicker about something inane. 

Harry frowned.

"Gin," he said finally. "Make me a promise, please?"

"Of course," Ginny replied instantly. "Anything."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Shouldn't you ask what it is first? I could ask you for anything right now and you'd be stuck."

Ginny smiled in a way that seemed to fry his brain before murmuring, "I should be so lucky."

Harry's eyes widened and he blinked several times. He shook his head slightly, clearing images of Lupin's diagrams from his skull. "Erm, yeah, anyway… Right, listen, I expect you know that I'm really bad at this whole relationship thing…"

"No, Harry, of course you're not!" Ginny protested.

Harry gave her a look of utmost disbelief. "So what I want is..." He took a fortifying breath. "Tell me when I'm doing something wrong. And tell me why. It's inevitable, because I have no people skills. I _was_ raised in a closet, you know. Why couldn't I have been raised by wolves, I ask you?" He ran his fingers through his messy hair. "You know, I never even had a friend before until Ron and Hermione. I'm really awful at... _feelings_." He shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to hurt you, but I know I have in the past, and I probably will again. All I'm asking is that you help me learn from my mistakes. I apologize in advance for every idiotic thing I do and say." He gave her a lopsided, hopeful smile.

"Now that is the easiest promise I've ever made," Ginny gave him that sexy smile again.

Harry reached for her fingers, interlacing them with his own.

* * *

Several intense days of training and studying later, the four teens were taking a bit of a break while Tonks and Lupin "tidied up" the ballroom. Ginny chucked a dungbomb at the door. Sure enough, it was Imperturbed. 

"Well, well, well," she grinned. "I do believe we have about an hour to kill before they're done in there."

"We didn't make an hour's worth of mess," Harry protested. "If it was that bad, they should have asked for help."

Hermione and Ginny shared a glance and burst into laughter. Hermione smirked and said they definitely did _not_ need, nor would they appreciate any help.

"Oh Merlin," Harry winced.

"Harry, could I borrow Dumbledore's Pensieve?" Hermione queried. "I was wondering about something…"

"Sure," he answered, retrieving it from his trunk. "You know how to use it?"

"Yes, I've read all about it." She bit her lip and said hesitantly, "Maybe you could put the memory of the night in the cave in there? So I could try to get a sense of Voldemort's methods..."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "But those may not have been his methods. That may have been R.A.B.'s. And how much of that night?"

"Er, well," Hermione didn't quite meet his eyes. "All of it? There might be clues…"

Harry took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pulled a very long silvery strand from his temple and dropped it in the small bowl. "Cheers." He handed her the bowl of swirling silver. "Just touch it, it'll suck you in. You'll come out when it ends. No one can see or hear you in there, you can only watch."

Hermione nodded quickly and disappeared into the memory.

Harry found Ron and sent him to wait for her return.

* * *

Restless, Harry wandered the house. He stopped at the door to the drawing room before roughly shoving it open. The huge tapestry on the wall drew his attention as one of the few remaining items in the room. Harry traced a few gold threads on the tapestry, feeling a pang whenever he saw "Potter" in the stitching. 

Near the bottom, he saw names that gave him a different kind of pang. "Rabastan, Rodolphus… oh holy hells, _Regulus... Regulus Black._" Harry felt the hairs at the back of his neck rise. It was like a puzzle piece falling into place. "Shit."

He thundered down the stairs.

"Well, it's official," Harry announced. "I'm a moron. This R.A.B. person was as close as the nose on my face. Or at least, as close as the roof over our heads."

"What?"

"What's Sirius' last name?"

Ron and Ginny both promptly answered, "Black."

"Do either of you recall his brother's name?" Harry continued.

Ron's eyes widened. "No. But does it start with an _'R_'?"

"Right-o, Ron," Harry said, voice tight. "Little brother Regulus, the Death Eater who was killed for wanting to bow out of his duties."

Ginny gasped. "It fits, doesn't it. So he hid the locket? It could be _here_?"

"We better save some of this discussion for Hermione," Ron warned. "Or we'll just have to go over it again when she comes back."

"Where would a Death Eater on the run hide a locket?" Ginny wondered, her eyes searching the room as though it could be in any dark corner. "What if we threw it out when we cleaned?"

"I don't know," Harry said bitterly. "But why can't I just have a nice, boring, peaceful existence? Why me? I have the worst luck."

"Or the best, to have survived everything you've done so far," Ginny said pointedly.

"What seems to be the problem?" Lupin asked as he strode through the doorway, Tonks following closely. "Where's Hermione?"

Harry gestured to the Pensieve. "Hi Professor Lupin, Tonks. Hermione is having a little swim."

"We were just discussing Harry's luck. It's really fantastic or really horrible."

"Well," Remus said thoughtfully, "in the spectrum of life, one does have to endure the lows to properly appreciate the highs--the lower your lows, the higher your highs. If you had never known hunger, would you appreciate food? No, it'd be something you took for granted.

"Your lows are lower than most, that's why the dementors seem to target you, I think. Negative emotions are much more substantial for them to feed off, they drain the happy ones in a few seconds. The nasty stuff, that's like their meal after candy floss. And that's also why your Patronus is so strong, Harry. Your happy moments are happier to you, because you appreciate them more, and it takes less to make you happy."

Harry looked confused, so Remus continued, "Could you be truly happy, I mean _ecstatically_ happy, if you've never been unhappy? Think of your cousin, Dudley. He has always been given everything he asked for; everything he wanted. Did that make him happy? Or lucky? No, not really. It just takes more and more to get a glimmer of happiness or excitement, and less and less to go back to the dissatisfied or bored state. And from there, luck is all in how you look at it."

"Oh!" Ginny broke in. "Happiness is like Muggle drugs! In Muggle Studies class, we learned they use drugs like Euphoria potion. After using them, it takes more, or stronger drugs to get the same effect."

"Yes, but can you see how true happiness is different?" Lupin asked.

"Well," Harry said thoughtfully. "If you've known misery, once you have experienced real happiness, no drug would compare. It would be easier to resist the temptation."

Tonks beamed. "Good answer!"

Ron looked disturbed. "What about someone whose life has always been mediocre? Someone average, like, for instance, me."

"Ah, that deals with family dynamics," Tonks said. "You've had a bit more insulation and competition, I'll wager. However, the love outweighs the jealousy. The dementors don't affect you quite as fast, and it took you a bit longer to master the Patronus Charm." Tonks shrugged. "But obviously you know real happiness. You can do a Patronus."

"So Harry's life has been more… extreme… than yours," Ginny said. "Would you want to trade with him?"

Ron shuddered. "Bloody hell, no! Then I'd be dating you!"

Hermione popped out of the Pensieve in time to witness Ginny smack Ron upside the head.

"Am I interrupting?" She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Harry unobtrusively slipped the memory from the Pensieve back into his head.

"No," Ginny huffed. "My idiot brother was just saying how he'd hate to be Harry and have to date me."

"I wouldn't want to trade spaces with him either," Harry said. "No offense, but I don't feel very 'brotherly' towards you," he smiled.

Ron pretended to sniffle, pulling Hermione to him. "You leave me alone and they start picking on me." Under his breath he whispered, "You okay? You look like you've swallowed one of Snape's potions."

She smiled a real smile then, stepped closer into his embrace, and whispered back, "I'm fine, thanks."

"So, you were looking for Hermoine?" Harry asked Tonks.

"Actually, I was hoping she could help me with some theories," Tonks commented. "My dad is Muggleborn, you know, so I grew up going to church with that side of the family sometimes. Some things stuck in my head. I remember one wedding, the minister talked about faith, hope and love. Quite reminded me of Dumbledore, actually."

Hermione smiled. "Yes, I know that passage. It's from 1 Corinthians. '_If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love'_."

"That was beautiful," Ginny breathed.

"There are quite a few verses about love in the Bible," Hermione said. "John 15:13 '_Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.' _and Colossians 3:14 '_And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity'._ Then there's 1 Peter 4:8 '_Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins'._ I have been doing research on love, since Dumbledore thought it was such an important component for defeating Voldemort."

"Well, it sounds like Christians believe in love also, but it doesn't really help us much, does it? No instructions for defeating dark wizards with magical love," Harry said.

"No, but we can pray," Hermione said softly. 


	8. Constant Vigilance

Disclaimer: Still not mine…

_**Constant Vigilance**_

The days passed swiftly. The teens studied and trained in Defense, Charms, Occlumency, Legilimency, Potions and Transfiguration. They searched much of the house, hoping to find the Horcrux locket, or any clues about Regulus. They occasionally spent evenings with the twins at Mrs. Figg's, watching films. They watched Star Wars, James Bond, Star Trek and other science fiction shows, looking for ideas. The twins worked feverishly in their workshop every spare moment, developing new inventions, hoping to find something to give them an advantage in the upcoming battles. They discussed communication devices, self-defense and protective shielding options, rescue Portkeys, first aid, and even potions.

"Wonder what'd happen if we slipped a little 'Love Potion Number 9' in Voldy's tea," Fred pondered. "Since love is supposed to be our 'edge' here."

"Who would he love?" George queried.

"Harry, of course," Fred scoffed.

"Too bad we can't test it on Snape first."

"No telling what kind of effect that would have on gits with the emotional range of a teaspoon," Ron grinned, winking at Hermione.

"Nothing can create real love," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "It's just a type of obsession. And Voldemort is already obsessed with Harry. It would probably just make his desire to kill him even stronger."

"Too bad we couldn't put a little essence of Bellatrix in it," Ron mused. "They'd be too busy with each other to care what else is going on. We could sneak up on them and they'd never know what hit 'em."

"Isn't it odd," Ginny said, looking repulsed, "that Riddle never tried to father his own race of super evil offspring? Aren't children a way of achieving immortality? Knowing your genetic material lives on?"

"Except now his genetic material contains my blood, Wormtail's hand and his father's bones." Harry shook his head. "Those would be some severely messed up kids. Eeerghh."

Lupin narrowed his eyes. "So of Voldemort's genetic makeup, he has your blood--which he wanted for your mother's sacrificial protection, a hand from a known traitor who owes you a life debt, old _Muggle_ bones, and his own rudimentary body with a remnant of a soul. Hermione, let's plan to research the magical properties of those components. There have got to be some weaknesses. Bodies are not made to be reincarnated. We also need to look through Lily's things to see if we can find the exact charm she used on Harry as a baby."

"You know," Harry said, "the things Dumbledore said when he was drinking the Horcrux potion in the cave are along the same lines as what I hear in my mind when dementors get close. I hear my mum's voice, offering her life instead of mine. That's what Dumbledore said, too. He said, 'Don't hurt them, take me instead,' or something like that. Did you see that in the Pensieve, Hermione?"

"Yes," Hermione said, confused. "What are you saying, Harry?"

"Maybe it wasn't a charm," Harry said. "She was a dab hand at potions, too, according to Slughorn, right?"

At Lupin's thoughtful nod, Harry continued, pacing. "Maybe she and Dumbledore knew of a potion that allowed sacrificial protection. I don't know, it's just been bugging me. I hear her, and I hear Dumbledore, saying the same words, and then the flash of green light. I don't know, I'm suspicious of coincidences. I wish we knew what that Horcrux potion was. I could have Dobby get my Potions book from the Room of Requirement…" Harry jerked to a stop. "Oh, I really am stupid," he moaned. "That bloody Vanishing Cabinet was in there when I went to hide my book." He shook his head. "Why didn't I notice it had been fixed? Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it," he said irritably.

He paused for a moment and added thoughtfully, "You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff in that room when it's a hiding place, though. It'd be interesting to wander about in there and see what else I overlooked. There might be something useful in there."

"Next meeting, let's talk McGonagall into letting us into Hogwarts for a bit," Ron said. "Hermione can talk her into it, begging for the library."

Ginny just stared at them. "Have you forgotten where the _other_ cabinet is? It's _here_, remember? We can go any old time we feel like it."

Harry could have kissed her. And very well might have, if they hadn't been in a room full of people. "_Actually_," he thought as his gaze wandered over her. "_I wonder what snogging in the Vanishing Cabinet would lead to…_" As his guilty eyes met Ginny's, he felt the feather-light touch of her mind touching his. Occlumency had not been working for him. He simply could not repel a Legilimancy invasion without years of bad memories surfacing for the "attacker" to see. Hermione usually ended up in tears after witnessing the worst of them. The girls had been launching sneak attacks to try to get him to throw up his mental defenses accidentally, as he'd done with Snape, hoping that would help him learn to block them intentionally. Ron adamantly refused, saying there was no way he wanted to see what was inside Harry's head these days with Ginny around.

This time, Harry tried to project an image of the Vanishing Cabinet with himself and Ginny in it. She grinned at him, but then frowned in confusion. Harry could feel prickling as she attempted stronger intrusion, but he concentrated on the cabinet, and the feelings he wanted to express to her.

"Harry!" she said delightedly. "You're blocking me! Let me try... _Legilimens_!"

Startled at first, Harry provided no resistance. Then he consciously tried to picture the cabinet again. He could feel her sneaking around the edges, trying to burrow further into his mind. He used a technique that he used to conjure a Patronus, concentrating on the love he felt for her. "Awesome!" Ginny squealed. "You're doing it! You're projecting a single image and not letting me see anything else. Weird, though, the way you Shield. It feels like getting hit by a Patronus."

Hermione smacked herself in the forehead. "Oh, of course! That makes sense! While the rest of us are able to build a mental wall to keep people _out_, Harry needs a container to keep his thoughts and memories _in_."

Harry eyed her warily. "What's the difference?"

"Well, it's really just a different technique," Hermione explained. "This is psychology, it's how the human brain _works_. Everyone is different, obviously. Now, for most people, negative things stand out in our memories more than positive, simply because our lives are mostly at an even keel and fairly positive."

Hermione took her wand and drew what looked like a large capital 'L' in the air and proceeded to create a line graph, adding hash marks and numbers.

"Okay, let's take Ginny for an example." Hermione started a line on the number two. "We'll just start here at medium happy, because we you were a happy baby who got lots of attention. Now we coast along, mainly still at a two, dipping slightly for disappointments here and there, bobbing up for happy occasions like birthdays and Christmases. Now at age eleven, we'll make a considerable dip, but since then, a gradual rise back up to the two, again, back to pretty much even keel. It's Newton's first law of motion, really. A body in motion tends to stay on the same path unless acted on by an outside force. Now, as homeostatic machines, we automatically apply the counter force which eventually brings us back to the path we were on, more or less."

Hermione swished her wand and drew a new graph. "Now Harry's life may have initially started out as a two, like Ginny's, but it took this sharp downward turn early on. His life got stuck down here in the negative numbers until he was eleven. By then, his path had been permanently altered."

"So while the rest of us can block with the few strong negative feelings, Harry has to do the opposite. He needs to use some strong positive emotions to contain all the negative. It's obviously a technique he's accustomed to using, or he'd have turned out like Snape."

"What?" Tonks looked at Hermione like some bizarre exhibit at the zoo. "What on earth does Harry have to do with Snape?"

Hermione sighed. "Alright. Hypothetically, let's take three little boys. Just for fun, we'll give them all dark hair and pale skin. Oh, and they're all half-bloods. Now, the first one is raised without parents at all, in an orphanage. He learns to appreciate power and glory and hates all things common. The second one is raised with an abusive alcoholic father who beat his mother and taught him only fear and intimidation. The third one is a combination. He is raised without parents, and neglected, if not downright abused. Tell me how three similar boys with similarly sad beginnings ended up so different? Why didn't Harry end up bitter and twisted like Voldemort or Snape?"

Harry felt weird, analyzing his life as though it was someone else's.

"Dumbledore said disinterest and neglect often do more damage than outright dislike," he said slowly. "So, er, boy number three was lucky to be so disliked? Nah, I don't think so...

"Dumbledore also said 'to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever'. Perhaps boy number three's only advantage was the first year of his life?"

"All the more reason to find that spell your mum used," Tonks said. "Maybe she found a way to leave you a part of herself, to help you make good choices. Like giving you her conscience or something. It'd only be fair, since you got your dad as a Patronus." She grinned. "We know there's something of them in you besides their DNA.

"Yeah, yeah, Mum's eyes," Harry said dully.

"Eyes are windows to the soul, Harry," Lupin said gently, pointedly meeting Harry's gaze.

* * *

Harry lay wide awake, staring at the dark ceiling. _Eyes are windows to the soul… and I have my mum's eyes… What does that mean? If Mum found a spell to give me part of her soul, am I her Horcrux? _

_What if I'm one of Voldemort's Horcruxes? Obviously he was preparing to make one that night he gave me this scar. What if he did his preparations, went to kill me, the curse rebounded and hit him, which ripped his soul from his body. His soul must have sizzled through my brain to leave stuff behind like that, what if it stayed? Would I know? _Harry tormented himself, tossing and turning restlessly. He felt guilty when Ron sat up.

"Sorry, I don't mean to keep you awake," Harry apologized.

"S'alright." Ron yawned groggily. "Anything I can help with? Or should I get Ginny for you?"

Harry was surprised. "Who are you and what have you done with the overprotective brotherly Ron?"

Ron suddenly grinned conspiratorially. "I don't know, but this Ron wouldn't mind visiting his girlfriend so you could talk to yours."

Harry smiled. "You think they're still up?"

"Only one way to find out!" Ron said. He slipped out of the room and padded down the hall. A few minutes later, a different tousled redhead slipped back in and silently shut the door.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Ginny sounded sleepily concerned.

"Sorry to wake you, it's nothing, my brain just keeps spinning," Harry sat up. "I was keeping Ron up with my tossing and turning, and he volunteered to fetch you so you could babysit me."

"You want to talk about it?" Ginny moved to sit next to him.

Harry shook his head. "Not yet. When it stops spinning long enough to make sense, I'll let you know." He smiled and reached for her. "It might help me to concentrate on something else for awhile," he suggested.

"Really?" Ginny queried facetiously, "You want to study or something?"

"Only if I can study you," Harry quipped.

"Ah, but that would take years and years," she returned.

"If I have them, they're yours," Harry whispered, nuzzling her neck. "I love you, Gin."

Ginny squirmed, giggling when he reached a ticklish spot, "I love you, too."

Harry pulled her over to straddle his lap. Ginny's arms slid up around his bare shoulders as their lips met. His fingers found the hem of her shirt and then the band of silk where her shorts met skin. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own, traveling upwards, stroking the warm, bare skin of her waist and ribs. His thumbs automatically stopped when they reached the point where he should have encountered a familiar elastic barrier. He froze. She wasn't wearing a bra. He hesitated, then allowed his thumbs to trace under the soft curves. Emboldened, his thumbs crept up in their exploration, causing Ginny to suck in her breath. Her nails had dug into the skin of his back, and she moaned softly as he caressed these new, intriguingly sensitive areas. He hardly noticed when Ginny's trembling fingers shifted and quickly unbuttoned her pajama top, but as his lips and tongue teased along her neck and collarbone, he couldn't resist the opportunity the open top provided.

Ginny gasped. Somehow they'd shifted and were now lying on the bed. Her body arched and responded of its own accord as his lips created a path of fire down to her navel and back up, boldly exploring, encouraged by her responses.

Harry lay down next to her, gently kissing her lips again when she turned to him. Her pupils were dilated with desire. He ran his fingers through her long, silky hair until their breathing had returned to normal. "Well, that's one way of shutting off my brain," he murmured, lightly tracing her jawline with his fingers.

"Why did you stop?" Ginny asked. She respected him for it, really, but couldn't help feeling a bit frustrated as well.

"Ginny, you're fifteen," Harry said. "It isn't even legal." She huffed irritably and rolled her eyes, but Harry continued. "Gin, c'mon... I haven't a clue what I'm doing. I don't want to rush either of us into anything. We already have so much to handle... I don't know that I could concentrate on much else if I was constantly picturing you naked! You can be very distracting," he said seriously.

Ginny sighed. "I'm only fifteen for another month, you know. Hmm..."

Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Shall we see how much torment I can inflict on you in a month to try changing your mind?" she asked mischievously, her fingers tracing meandering circles around his chest and stomach.

"Hey wait, now shouldn't we both want to be responsible and, and... honorable here?" Harry caught her wandering fingers.

"Oh no," Ginny purred. "As you pointed out, I'm only fifteen. Therefore, I still have a month to be immature, irresponsible, and just plain naughty!" She grinned triumphantly.

He pushed her to her side and tucked himself around her. "Stay there," he ordered, exasperated. "And keep your hands to yourself!"

"Spoilsport," she whispered.

"Jailbait," he retorted.

Laughing softly, they whispered each other to sleep.


	9. Search and Research

Disclaimer: the usual. Not mine, all JKR's._**  
**_

_**Search and Research**_

Hermione was in the library. It was early morning, which was nothing out of the ordinary for her, even on summer holidays. What _was _out of the ordinary during summer holidays was that she was in _Hogwarts'_ library, having used the Vanishing Cabinet as a portal to the school as Tonks had shown them.

She glanced around guiltily. McGonagall had given them permission, of course, when Hermione had asked after the last Order meeting.

Surrounded by silence, Hermione couldn't shake the feeling she was doing something not quite right. Perhaps because she had headed straight for the Restricted Section without so much as a pass. She had finished with the books from Dobby and had dropped them in the Return tray, relieved to return them safely.

Ron teased her about her reverence for books. He didn't understand what it was like to be lonely and friendless and _weird_. She knew she was weird. She had grown up being called that and other, even less flattering, names. Somehow the other children always sensed she was different, and were relentless in their torment. They ridiculed her for her bushy brown hair and overlarge teeth, her unusual name, her eagerness in school...

Hermione discovered the magic in books long before she ever discovered it in herself. Books were her friends. She didn't need the human kind. Her mind was too logical to understand other girls and their love of gossip and silly nonsense. It wasn't practical, and it was a waste of time. She was a tiny adult in a child's body. It wasn't really a miserable existence though; she mostly ignored the children at school, concentrated on her books, and read about what it would be like to have friends.

When Hermione had received her Hogwarts letter on her eleventh birthday, she had been ecstatic. Finally, she knew what it was that set her apart from other children. Unfortunately, she had missed the school's September 1 cutoff. Her birthday was the 19th of September, so she couldn't begin that term, but that gave her almost a full year to prepare. It hadn't been difficult to talk her parents into taking her to Diagon Alley, carefully following the instructions in the letter. They'd purchased the standard first year curriculum materials on the booklist and indulged Hermione's pleas for extra books. A copy of _Hogwarts, a History_ quickly found its way to her basket, as did several other volumes of spells, charms and potions. She was determined to excel, even in a world she never knew existed.

With the same determination and desperation, Hermione yet again ensconced herself with her beloved books, searching for answers.

She found books in the Restricted Section pertaining to the creation of spells. She decided to check those out to read later. Professor Lupin had agreed to help her. She really was not comfortable creating new spells on her own. Things could go very badly wrong, after all. Luna Lovegood's mother had died working on an experimental spell, and that knowledge had always been more than enough deterrent for Hermione.

She skimmed some books, copying out the information she found potentially useful. She found one ancient Latin tome that described the magical properties of sun and salt. _"Sol and sal, two things essential for the maintenance of life,_" she added to her long list of notes. "_Evil spirits cannot bear salt_," she read in another passage. Her eyes narrowed as connections clicked away in her mind. "_I wonder… what would happen to dementors exposed to salt water?_"

She glanced at her watch, wondering when Harry would join her. He had promised to help her in the library as soon as he could. Ron and Ginny had Flooed to the Burrow after breakfast. Bill and Fleur's wedding loomed ever closer, and their presence was needed for the preparations. Harry had gone to find Professor Slughorn to discuss using the Pensieve and to ask for assistance regarding the Horcrux potion. Hermione planned to spend the morning in the library. Then she and Harry could have lunch in the kitchen with the house-elves before proceeding back to the Room of Requirement to do some searching there.

She turned back to her books. "_A circle of salt will protect from demon possession,_" she noted, then added a question: _Too common to work?_

"Who knows," she muttered, "Dumbledore did say Riddle undervalued anything common, perhaps Harry just needs to sprinkle a bit of salt on his tail." 

She chose a few books on ancient Mayan spells, Native American magic, African wizardry and one on Egyptian curses that reminded her of Bill. _I bet Bill could teach us a lot. I wonder if McGonagall has considered him for teaching DADA_, she pondered, making another note.

* * *

"Oh Harry! There you are! Did you get what you needed from Professor Slughorn without plying him with mead this time?"

Harry looked preoccupied, running fingers through his messy hair. "Yeah, he showed me a few things I didn't know about using a Pensieve." Harry hesitated, frowned, then whispered in disbelief. "When I asked about my mum, he told me she was good friends with Snape. He said they worked on projects together for his Advanced Potions class. He thought that might have contributed to why he and my dad were such rivals."

Hermione didn't seem as stunned as Harry had been. She merely shrugged. "Harry, I think your mum was nice to everyone. She probably had a lot of friends."

"Yeah, I know she defended Snape once when Sirius and my dad were hexing him," Harry said, still disturbed. "But then he called her some pretty nasty names…"

"Like, 'Nightmare'? Harry, if I could forgive Ron for that, don't you think your mum could get past being called a Mudblood?"

"But you _like_ Ron!" Harry spluttered, "My mum could never _like_ Snape, not that way! That's just… just wrong, on so many levels. Eeeurghhh." He shuddered violently.

"Harry, your mum married your dad; she didn't like Snape that way." Hermione patted his arm comfortingly, but looked speculative. "Though we really don't know how _he_ felt about _her_, do we? Think about it, Harry, here was Snape, harboring the dirty secret of being a half-blood, sorted into Slytherin. Do you think he'd just smile and thank her for defending him in front of his arch-rival? Well, that really would have been the smart thing to do, if he was interested in her. Good thing Snape wasn't a Ravenclaw, you might have ended up with different parents." She grinned teasingly at Harry's disgusted countenance. "No, he simply could not allow a Muggleborn Gryffindor _girl_ to defend him in front of his pure-blooded peers. It would have been a matter of Slytherin pride and all. He had to make a snarky comment so he wouldn't seem weak, or indebted. Still, he could have carried a torch for her all along." Hermione brightened and said, "Oh just think, Harry! If they worked together in Advanced Potions, those could have been some of your mum's notes that he copied in his book!"

"Hermione, please, let's just go find some lunch."

Hermione absently gathered the books and notes she had accumulated, checked out the books and shrunk them down to fit in her knapsack. They headed down to the kitchens, where Harry tickled the pear in the painting. Dobby was delighted to see them, and immediately brought butterbeer and pumpkin juice for them to sip while the elves readied the rest of their meal. They sat at a small table and ate mostly in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

Harry was finishing a generous helping of treacle tart when Hermione asked him about Neville and Luna.

"They're already in danger," Hermione reminded. "They were with us at the Ministry, so the Death Eaters know who they are. Isn't it a better idea to move them in to Headquarters so they can help us instead of just being out there like sitting ducks? They would be valuable. We know they're loyal, and they could help with the research. Luna _is _a Ravenclaw, and Neville is brilliant at Herbology."

"I know they're loyal and valuable, I just don't want them in more danger by associating with me. What about the rest of the members of the D.A.?" Harry queried. "What about the Muggleborn and half-blood families out there? We can't move them all into Headquarters. What can we do for them?" he asked.

"Well, Fred and George are working on getting authorization for the emergency Portkeys. They will set them with passwords and destinations unique to each family. If the Ministry officials cooperate, Aurors will be notified whenever one of the Portkeys is activated." Hermione stood to carry her dishes to the sink. "I also think we should compose a letter to the Ministry and the _Prophet _asking for temporary lifting of the Underage Use of Magic laws and lowering the age for Apparition licenses. I think they should distribute notices with instructions for basic Shield and defense spells and make it common knowledge that anyone who can wield a wand has the ability to use it. Younger legal Apparition might provide some people means to escape. The emergency Portkeys would be made available through the Ministry. No need for Fred and George's names to be on those, we don't want them targeted. They can take the credit for them after all this is over..."

"A letter?" Harry was incredulous. "You think a nice little letter with those helpful suggestions is going to get anywhere in the Ministry or the _Prophet_?"

Hermione faced him, "With your signature at the bottom, _Harry Potter_, yes, I believe they might just pay attention."

"Well, it can't hurt I guess," Harry shrugged, rolling his eyes. "You write it, I'll sign it. Now, let's go visit the Room of Requirement, shall we? Maybe we can Floo to the Burrow when we're finished and see how the wedding plans are going." He frowned. "I'm sure the Weasleys have precautions in place, but... Does it make sense to have so many of the people Voldemort wants to kill in one place like that? Weddings draw pretty big crowds, right? There will be people there from the Ministry, Gringotts, Hogwarts, the Order… I don't like it. That kind of target would be hard to resist. If giants, dementors and Death Eaters crash the party, things will get ugly real fast."

Hermione's worried look and curt nod confirmed she had considered the same dangers, but had no reassuring answers.

* * *

They reached the Room of Requirement and Harry paced, concentrating on the room where he'd hid his book. The door appeared, and Harry glanced inside before swinging it open. Hermione waited for Harry to retrieve the Potions book, then shrunk it for him and put it in her knapsack. 

They wandered about, intrigued by the cast-off paraphernalia of generations of Hogwarts students and staff. Professor Trelawney had contributed an impressive pile of sherry bottles. Hermione was inspecting one of several mountains of books, and Harry wandered over to another pile. His eyes widened suddenly and he turned to glance furtively at Hermione before slipping a volume from the stack.

**_"What Women Want_**" _by Dr. Ruth Kinsey_. He opened the front cover to see _Property of Sirius Black _in a familiar scrawl. Harry nearly laughed aloud. Only in the Room of Requirement could he run across such a book. He flipped through, skimming pages and wincing at some rather familiar diagrams. Glancing again at Hermione, who was inspecting another tower of books farther away, he hastily shrunk and pocketed it. He couldn't wait to show Ron. "_How long have we wished for a book that explained girls?" _he thought, grinning. _"Oh wait…" _Ron may not react all that well to Harry reading books about sexual techniques. Quite honestly, Harry didn't want to think about what Ron would do with the information in the book, either. _"Not a pleasant mental image, that." _With a slight shudder, Harry steered his mind into other avenues.

"Find anything?" he asked Hermione.

"A few books," she answered, predictably. "Have you found anything?"

"Er, not really. Have we any use for the skeleton of a pygmy Quintaped or that huge stuffed troll over there? Those old cloaks don't look very useful. Too bad none of them are Invisibility Cloaks."

"I wonder if there's anything of Voldemort's in here," Hermione mused. "If Dobby had something of Riddle's, perhaps he could help locate the bits of his soul."

Harry gaped at her. "You really are the most brilliant person who ever lived," he declared reverently. Hermione's cheeks pinkened and she smiled.

He looked around, then frowned at the rusty swords. "I could use '_Accio Tom Riddle's stuff_,' but it'd be bad if that pile of swords came flying at us."

Hermione nodded. "I'll cast the _Accio_, you cast _Protego_, and we'll duck behind this cupboard."

"_Accio Tom Riddle's stuff!_" Hermione cried at the same time Harry shouted _"Protego_!"

Nothing happened. Not a rustle of movement anywhere.

"Maybe you should try saying Lord Voldemort's stuff," Harry suggested.

They tried again, but still nothing. "How about Gaunts' or Salazar Slytherin's stuff?"

Nothing.

"Try Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor."

Still nothing.

"Oh what the heck," Harry said. "How about… _Accio Horcrux!" _

Disappointing silence.

"Well, I guess that would have made it too easy," Hermione sighed. Suddenly she frowned. "Harry, do you think it's safe to leave the Vanishing Cabinet in here? Malfoy and several Death Eaters know where it is."

Harry shrugged. "Even if they got in to Hogwarts and the Room of Requirement, they'd have to get through the wards and password spell Tonks put on it."

"Well, it's not worth the risk, is it?" Hermione said, tapping her nose thoughtfully. "How about this: Let's levitate the cabinet out of here and shut the door. Then we create a new Room, asking for everything we need to defeat Voldemort, the Death Eaters and dementors. Kind of like the Room you imagined for the D.A. classes, but more specific. Then we put the cabinet in there. The room has to be large enough to accommodate much of the student population in case they need to use the cabinet to evacuate, and this one really would not do."

"Brilliant."

Together, they used _Wingardium Leviosa_ to lift the cabinet out the door. After they closed the portal and it had turned back to a bare patch of wall, Harry turned to Hermione.

"Do you want to set up the Room or shall I?" he asked, privately thinking if she did it, the walls would be lined with books and quite possibly nothing else. Books were fine sources of information, of course, but they took time to read.

"Let's try it together and see what we come up with, shall we?" Hermione suggested. "Here, give me your hand, so we don't confuse the Room."

Together they paced back and forth three times, each thinking along various lines of "_Everything we need to defeat Voldemort and his followers._"

They opened the door and stared in amazement. Hermione caught Harry's arm and pointed back at the cabinet before he could enter. They quickly levitated it in and placed it against a wall, then separated to inspect the Room they had conjured.

It was nearly as large as the Great Hall. As Harry had suspected, much of the wallspace was lined with bookshelves. On one wall was an enormous map. He headed straight for it and gasped in awe. It was like the Marauder's Map, but seemed to cover enough territory to show the homes of every magical family whose children attended or would attend Hogwarts. It was, in fact, tied to the magical book at Hogwarts that recorded the birth of every magical child. His eyes roved over the map, searching for the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. "Argh, where is it? Where's the Burrow?" he murmured. A small flare of light appeared. Surprised, he touched it with his wand and a grid appeared, enlarging the village until he could clearly see a square labeled, "The Burrow" and the little floating names indicating the presence of the various Weasley family members.

"Hermione! Come see this!" Harry gestured wildly and she rushed over.

She smiled approvingly. "This must have come from you, there's quite a similarity to the Marauder's Map." She tapped Ron's name gently. "We should fetch them and bring them here." She gestured to the rest of the room. "We've got a lot to do."

Harry nodded slowly, tearing his gaze from the little floating _Ginevra Weasley_ on the map. He tapped the grid and it went back to normal. "Show me Order Headquarters." The little flare flashed again, this time in London, and he tapped it with his wand. The grid appeared, but it was blank. Remus Lupin's name was hovering about, and Harry was relieved to see there was no information giving away the exact location. He tapped the grid again. Curious, he said "Hogwarts" and saw the flash in Scotland. Enlarging it, he saw Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. It was almost exactly a duplicate of the Marauder's Map. He shook his head in wonder. "Hey look, Hermione, here we are! The Room of Requirement doesn't show up on my map, but on here it does. Hermione squinted at the map closely.

"_The War Room_," she read. "And it says the password is _Minerva's Minions_." She grinned, shaking her head. "That's rather appropriate, isn't it."

Harry looked at her questioningly. "Minerva? As in, McGonagall?"

"Maybe," Hermione said, head tilted thoughtfully. "Coincidentally, Minerva is also the name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, particularly in defending home from outside threats."

"I don't believe in coincidence," Harry said. He turned toward the cabinet. "C'mon, let's go back to Headquarters. We can collect Professor Lupin and see if Mrs. Weasley needs any help with dinner."

"Ha," Hermione said dryly. "I'll help her make it and you'll help eat it? Is that your plan?"

Harry gave her his sad puppy look. "Well, as I'm not of age to do magic yet, I wouldn't be much help with cooking, much as I want to."

Hermione made a face at him. "Like the age thing would stop you." Then she pulled out a notebook and scribbled quickly. "You know, that's another class that should be offered here."

"_Cooking with Magic_?" Harry suggested with a grin. "_Magic Chef_?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, a class that teaches household and cooking spells, like a basic life skills class. I mean, come on Harry, how fun was it for you to ask Ron about _shaving_?"

They went through the cabinet, emerging back at Headquarters.

Harry made to go off and find Lupin, but Hermione put her hand on his arm hesitantly. "Harry, can I ask you something?" She seemed quite distressed.

"Is something wrong?" Harry wondered if she somehow knew about the tiny book in his pocket.

"Well, it's about your memory in the Pensieve." She glanced at him apologetically, but took a breath and continued. "I know you aren't going to like this, but hear me out, please?"

Harry nodded curtly, jaw set.

"Harry, when I watched you make Dumbledore drink that potion, you looked… angry."

"Of course I was angry!" he interrupted, "Dumbledore had made me promise to force him to drink it, no matter what he said or did. I was angry with myself for agreeing to that and hurting him."

"I know, Harry, I know," Hermione soothed, touching his arm. "The thing is… the look on your face was identical to the expression on Snape's when he shot that spell at Dumbledore."

Harry stared at her in shock. "You cannot possibly compare me to that… that… _murderer_," he sputtered, pulling away angrily.

"No, Harry, no! That's not what I meant!" Hermione said desperately, trying to catch him.

"What, then?" he faced her coldly.

"I don't think Snape wanted to do what Dumbledore forced him to do, either," she whispered.

Harry shook his head. "No… That's not… I can't…" he trailed off uncertainly.

"Why else didn't he kill you that night? He had plenty of opportunity," Hermione insisted. Harry flushed, remembering how his every hex had been blocked. "You were completely alone with Snape, Malfoy and two Death Eaters.

"He said Voldemort wanted me for himself," Harry said. "He didn't let the other Death Eaters curse me either."

Hermione scoffed, "You think Voldemort would really have minded? If Snape killed Dumbledore _and _you for him in a single night, he would have been rewarded handsomely."

"Voldemort has plans for me, he said, and if Snape had killed both of us, wouldn't that make him seem more powerful than Voldemort himself? Seeing as how Voldemort hadn't managed it? He wouldn't want his Death Eaters looking to Snape as their new master."

"Possibly," Hermione shrugged. "But Snape could have Stunned you and taken you with him, or he could have transfigured you into an animal, like Moody did Malfoy. He could have turned you into almost anything and stuck you in his pocket and taken you straight to Voldemort. Instead, he said '_Keep your mouth shut and your mind closed._' What if he meant non-verbal spells and Occlumency? He could've been giving you advice, Harry!"

Harry was still angry, but he felt tiny twinges of doubt. Snape had been in a towering rage after Harry had called him a coward. Harry had even dared Snape to kill him, but he wouldn't do it.

"And think, Harry, all these years of Snape being awful to you, calling you incompetent and idiotic…" If Voldemort saw Snape's memories, he'd be delighted, right? And what else, Harry? _He would underestimate you_. All Voldemort knows of you is what he's seen through Snape. Snape may be a superb Legilimens and Occlumens, but _you_ still managed to accidentally break into his mind once. Now, because Snape has always been very careful and thorough with his mistreatment of you, _you are protected._ And on the flip side, with Voldemort seemingly having some kind of access to your mind, if he saw into your memories, all he'd see of Snape is that you hate him and believe him to be a traitor and Dumbledore's murderer."

"That's just absolutely insane, Hermione. Totally bizarre. Why do you insist on defending Snape? Why do you believe there is any _molecule_ of decency in him?" Harry ranted, pacing and clenching his fists.

"Because things do not add up!" Hermione declared. "And if things don't add up, there's something else in the equation that needs closer examination." She sighed. "Look, Harry, I'm not asking you to befriend Snape or anything. I just wanted you to know my interpretation of events, and what it might mean. Perhaps Professor Lupin could take a look."

"Yeah, okay, fine, another day," Harry said shortly, finished with the discussion.

"Speaking of Lupin," he said, changing the subject, "We need to brew Wolfsbane for him. D'you think we should pilfer Slughorn's Potions cabinet for supplies next time we're at Hogwarts?"

Hermione nodded, adding another note to her parchment.

They found their professor in the library. "Hi Professor Lupin," Hermione chimed. "Where's Tonks?"

"She went in to the Ministry today," he answered. "She was going to go on sabbatical to help train you lot, but the Ministry didn't want to let her go. They've worked it out so she's assigned to protect Harry. Probably Scrimgeour's way of keeping tabs on Harry, but it serves our purposes too, so..." he shrugged eloquently.

"Will she be joining us for dinner?" Hermione asked. "We thought we might Floo to the Burrow."

"Ah yes, Molly invited us all. I'll wait here for Tonks. Depending on the time, we may join you for pudding."

Harry eyed him suspiciously, but Hermione just dragged him to the fireplace, trying to hide a knowing grin. "Come _on_, Harry, Ginny's waiting!"

Within moments, Harry and Hermione were brushing soot off their clothes and being tightly hugged by Mrs. Weasley.

Harry's eyes met Ginny's over her mum's shoulder. She had been looking at his hair, which he belatedly realized was probably standing on end from his nervous habit of running his fingers through it. She narrowed her eyes, studying him closely. He joined her in the kitchen then, where she immediately demanded to know what was wrong.

"Nothing, Hermione was just carrying on about Snape. She thinks he's still working against Voldemort," Harry said disgustedly. "I suppose anything is possible, but it really doesn't matter. If I run across him, I'll hex first and ask questions later."

Ginny wrapped her arms around his waist. Harry glanced around nervously before gingerly returning the embrace. "Harry, my family knows we're together, it's alright to hug me, you know."

"Gin, you have several older brothers who would kill me as soon as look at me if I put one toe out of line with you. Not to mention the twins, who would probably want to torture me just for fun. I'm sorry if I seem a bit nervous!"

Ginny chuckled. "So that's the real reason you tried to break up with me, isn't it. You're not afraid of Riddle, it's my brothers."

"Don't forget, your mum can be scary too. Probably even your dad. Yeah, definitely terrifying… I may need to sit down before I pass out in fear, actually... Or I could just be light-headed with hunger," he said hopefully.

"Boys!" she threw her hands up in the air. "It'll be twenty minutes until dinner. D'you think you can hang on that long?"

Harry pondered a moment. "Well, if I do pass out, I'll probably require artificial respiration," he said gravely.

"You _are _a bit pale. Perhaps you need a little of that right now."

"Is this some kind of retaliation for me kissing you in the common room in front of everyone?" Harry tried to fend her off, catching her wrists before they could wrap around his neck. "Though actually, I think you may have bewitched me into doing that."

"Do _not_ ruin that moment by blaming it on me!"

"Nah, I'm sorry, you're right," he said. "You had me bewitched long before that day." He pulled her close for a moment but before she could stretch up for a kiss, he turned and tugged her toward the door. "Hey, what happened to Hermione? I know she volunteered to help with dinner. Let's go see if we can get the twins to catch her and Ron snogging in the broomshed. Or maybe we could just ah, _inspect_ the broomshed."

"Boys," she declared again, grinning.


	10. The War Room

Disclaimer: Many thanks to JKR for letting me play with her action figures.

_**The War Room**_

Harry and Ginny's inspection of the broomshed turned up nothing more than a few startled spiders. "Well, Ron will be grateful to know the brooms are now safe," Harry said solemnly as they went back to the house for dinner. "I'd say those eight-legged creepy-crawlies definitely learned their lesson."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "If the spiders learned a lesson on snogging, I think there will soon be more spiders in there, not less."

Harry's grin was just a tiny bit smug as he held the door open for her to enter the kitchen.

* * *

After eating far more helpings of shepherd's pie than he thought he could hold, followed by apple pie, Harry was lounging on the couch with Ron. He'd offered to help with dishes, but was shooed out with the other Weasley menfolk. The twins were ribbing Ron about Hermione. Harry thought it prudent to bring up a new topic before Fred and George started in on him and Ginny. 

"Oi, you guys have to see the War Room at Hogwarts!" Harry said. "It's brilliant! There's this enormous map on one wall that's like a huge Marauder's Map, and a dueling ring, punching bags, targets… oh and tons of books of course, thanks to Hermione."

"War Room?" Fred asked.

"At Hogwarts?" George queried.

"There was never a War Room on the Map."

"Well, we weren't at war before." George shrugged. "Unless prank wars count."

"No, Hermione and I made it in the Room of Requirement. We asked for anything that could help us fight Voldemort. It's really excellent."

"Harry was just telling us about the War Room, Hermione," Ron said eagerly when the girls filed out of the kitchen. "We all want to see it."

In the end, everyone wanted to go. Hermione Flooed into Headquarters first. Hearing music and laughter upstairs, she quickly sent a Patronus message to Tonks.

"_Going to Hogwarts through the cabinet to see the War Room. Password is Minerva's Minions_."

Without waiting for a response, she and the rest of the group headed through the Vanishing Cabinet.

"Holy Hecate!" Ron gasped in amazement. "If this place can't help us defeat the Carcass of Darkness, I don't know what will."

Fred and George tested the dueling ring while Harry demonstrated the map for Ron and Ginny. Hermione showed Mr. Weasley a book on Muggle firearms. He frowned and pointed to a cut-away view of a long-range sniper rifle. "Muggle wands don't work on wizards," he commented. "Magical energies manipulate them too easily. It would need to be ah, _adjusted_, to make it functional for a wizard to use, and even then it may not be very reliable. It would probably be fine to use against werewolves, from a long distance."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, sir, I understand that, I know a wizard would be able to interfere with mechanical workings, or dissolve a bullet and heal the wounds caused by a regular gun in an instant, so it wouldn't be totally effective as it is, but what if we used bullets filled with a potion?"

"What do you mean? What kind of potion?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"It could be nearly anything, depending on the effects we want to achieve," Hermione said. "We could use Draught of Living Death or Sleeping Draught to incapacitate, or Befuddlement Draught, or Exploding Solution... You see, Muggles use something similar, a dart gun, where the darts are loaded with a tranquilizer; a sleeping potion of sorts, to subdue large animals. Some cultures use poison-tipped arrows in the same way, but we want something that gave us a much farther range and better accuracy."

"Ah, I can see where that could be used very effectively," Mr. Weasley said. "I'll tell Kingsley and Tonks about this; this is something the Aurors should have."

"Just keep it to people we trust explicitly though," Hermione warned. "We don't want the wrong people getting this kind of information. Voldemort might scoff at Muggle ingenuity, but he won't hesitate to find a way to stop it."

"Oh," Mr. Weasley looked sadly disappointed. "You mean I can't give an interview to the _Prophet_?"

Hermione looked alarmed until she spotted a twinkle in his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling that the twins take after you?"

Tonks and Lupin came through the cabinet then. "Wotcher Weasleys!" Tonks chirped cheerfully. "Hiya Harry, Hermione."

"Hello Tonks," Hermione responded. "You're very alliterative today."

"I've been practicing my tongue twisters," Tonks winked. "Well, tongue _twisting, _anyway."

Lupin, who'd merely raised an eyebrow at her comment, took Tonks' elbow and ushered her over to look at the map.

"What, Remus? I really have! 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore.' See? Gotta keep all those glossus muscles toned. The better to enunciate spells, of course. You should try it."

"Ah, of course," he flashed a grin. "So you can say, 'My, what a strong tongue you have!'"

"Mmmm, you big, _bad_ wolf, you," Tonks murmured.

"All the better to _snog _you with, my dear."

"I gotta find me a picnic basket full of goodies..."

* * *

Later that night, Ginny and Hermione were in their room. The boys had gone down to raid the kitchen, and Ginny sat on her bed, watching Hermione read. 

"Hermione, do you ever think about marrying Ron?" she asked.

Hermione looked closely at Ginny, then flicked her wand at the door to lock and soundproof it.

"Why do you ask?" Hermione said warily.

"Well, mum said lots of people eloped young last time Voldemort was in power," Ginny said. "I just wondered if you ever thought about it, not knowing how much time we might have left…"

Hermione paused for a moment before answering.

"Yes, I have thought about it," she finally replied. "I've thought about how it suddenly isn't very important to have a romantic proposal, a long engagement, a gorgeous white dress, or a horse-drawn carriage. What's important is family, and being together with people you love. If Ron asked me to marry him tomorrow, I would, because I'd be thankful my parents are alive to walk me down the aisle, and your family would all be with us to celebrate. If we wait a few years to have the big fancy wedding my mother has always hoped for, the memory of that day may be touched with sadness. Or one or both of us could die, and we'd never have had that time together at all."

"At least you're legally of age so it's an option," Ginny said quietly. "I wish… I ache inside, I want to be with Harry all the time. I'm so scared for him, I feel sick and miserable and vulnerable if we're not together. Sometimes I wonder, if we could get married, so we were really together–the 'til death do us part' kind… maybe I'd feel better. I know, people would say it's an obsession or just puppy love. I don't know how to explain it, but I know that it's not just a phase. It's the real thing, it's not going to go away. Obviously we can't get married, but some kind of commitment would help. Some sign that he is fighting for the chance at a future together, not just to rid the world of Voldemort."

"Oh, he's thought about it, I think," Hermione said. "Though I don't know if he would recognize it..."

Ginny looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, back in our first year, Harry found the Mirror of Erised--the enchanted mirror that shows you your heart's deepest desire," Hermione told her. "Harry saw himself surrounded by his family. He saw his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Well, minus the Dursleys, evidently. But he was only eleven then, and had never considered having a family of his own someday." Hermione smiled. "I bet that same mirror would show him a whole bunch of redheads if he were to look into it again now."

"Is that what it would show you, too?"

"Yes. I'd see loads of redheads, Harry, my parents and I, all together after this whole thing is all over. You, Harry and your brothers would be playing Quidditch, screaming and laughing in the sun while your parents help me mind the children."

"_Children_?" Ginny nearly fell off her bed. "You think about children? I thought you meant lots of redheads being my family."

"Well, they'd be there too, but I'm an only child," Hermione reminded her. "It was pretty lonely growing up. Being around your family makes me happy. It just makes me think someday I'd like to have several kids. They'd always have each other, you see, like you and your brothers."

"Does Harry talk about kids?" Ginny asked hesitantly. "He's never mentioned them. Maybe he doesn't even like kids. For that matter, I don't know if I like kids."

Hermione smiled reassuringly at Ginny. "I doubt Harry has ever been around babies or small children. He was funny at the Quidditch World Cup. He just stared at the families with small children. I remember there was one little boy who had his father's wand and blew up a slug, and two little girls on miniature broomsticks flying around. I think Harry would have stayed there and just watched them play if Ron hadn't kept moving."

"Probably thinking about the childhood he should have had," Ginny murmured sadly.

"That's possible." Hermione nodded. "He'll be more likely to want to recreate that for himself and live vicariously through his own children someday. That would be good for him. The idea might scare him half to death at first, because he's not had much of a parenting example growing up, but I think he'd be a good father."

"Ron will be, too," Ginny said. "He's just an overgrown kid himself. Kids always love him. Anytime we had people visit with kids, they were drawn to Ron like a magnet. Usually he got them all working together and they'd sneak around trying to torment the twins. I always got stuck with the girls who wanted me to plait their hair and paint their nails." She made a face.

Hermione laughed, "Poor Ginny." She flicked her wand at the door, unlocking and opening it. "The boys should be coming back up soon. What are the odds of them bringing us a biscuit?" Crookshanks leaped lightly on the bed with her, rubbing his squashed face on the corner of her book and she stroked him absently.

"Harry might think of it, but Ron would eat them before they made it all the way up the stairs," Ginny predicted. Hermione smiled as they heard stealthy footsteps on the stairs. Everyone tiptoed around Mrs. Black's portrait, especially at night.

* * *

"So those big bags hanging in the War room are full of sand?" Ron asked Harry in confusion. "Why do we want to hit and kick bags of sand?" 

"Strength, agility and endurance training," Hermione answered promptly for him as they wandered into the girls' room. "Tonks will find those very useful for us for the martial arts training, I believe."

"Hermione, is there a potion like Muggle steroids?" Harry asked, handing each of the girls a biscuit, not noticing the amused glance the two shared. "I don't really know anything about steroids, except I remember they were illegal for Muggle sports because they gave too much of an advantage. But we need any advantage we can get."

"Muggle steroids are too dangerous. I will look for something else… I had thought of Strengthening Solution, but that would have bad side effects if used on a long-term basis. It's like Felix Felicis; you have to use it very sparingly. Also, Muggle steroids have something in them that increases a person's tolerance for pain. Considering the Cruciatus is a favorite curse among Death Eaters, we really should be looking for something to counteract that. Good ideas." She whipped out her ever-present parchment and made another note.

"We have so much to do." She chewed her lower lip worriedly. "Harry, my parents have decided to come here to help us. They're just making arrangements to close their practice for awhile. I know you've already put off your plans to go to Godric's Hollow, but could we get them moved in here Monday and Tuesday? We could go to Godric's Hollow on Wednesday. With the wedding Saturday, we should really spend Thursday and Friday at the Burrow helping Mrs. Weasley. We also have to go to Hogwarts for ingredients for Wolfbane potion. Maybe we could do that Tuesday evening. I will send notes to Luna and Neville right now and see when they can get here." The two owls flew in from the boys' room as if summoned, and Hermione wasted no time attaching the notes to their legs and sending them out the window.

"Yeah, that should work." Harry absently watched the owls fly off. "I need to go through some of the memories Dumbledore gave me with his Pensieve too, and I want you to see the ones he shared with me about Riddle." He paused, struggling with a decision internally. Finally he muttered, "There is a memory in the box from Dumbledore… It was mine, my memory from the night Voldemort killed my parents."

Ginny went to Harry and gently took his hand. "We don't need to talk about any of this tonight," she said firmly. "It's late. Hermione, didn't you say something about talking to Ron? I'll keep Harry company so you have some privacy." She steered Harry out of the room and shut the door behind them.

"She's getting pretty good at taking care of him, isn't she," Ron commented, almost sadly.

"He still needs us, too," Hermione met his gaze. Then she smiled, "She's not taking him from you, you know. He'll always be your best mate. Have you noticed though, he's gotten better about sharing things with us? He's telling us about things he would have kept from us before. There was always a part of him no one could reach."

"What do you mean? He tells me stuff," Ron said indignantly.

"Yes, but even you got frustrated with him not telling you when something bothered him. It was that nobility complex--his 'saving people thing'--trying to protect us from the ugly parts of his life. The prophecy is one example. You know he thinks that people who get close to him die."

"That's just stupid."

"His parents, Sirius, Dumbledore… He also has a lot of guilt over Cedric's death," Hermione reminded. "Don't tell me you haven't felt like he's always kept everyone at arm's length. You and I may have gotten closer to him than most, but he's always kept some distance."

"Well, blokes don't have to spill all their secrets to be friends," Ron defended. "That's just a girl thing."

"So in the six years you've spent living together for more than ten months per year, just how well do you feel you know Harry?" Hermione asked skeptically. She whipped out her ever-present parchment yet again and made another note. "We'll play a game tomorrow. I bet we will find out all kinds of things we didn't know."

She put her parchment down with a sly smile and locked the door with her wand, adding a silencing spell for good measure. "Meanwhile," she slipped her fingers under his shirt, "We can get to know each other better."

"Was that what you wanted to 'talk' to me about?" Ron grinned.

* * *

Ginny straddled Harry's bare back, firmly massaging scented oil into his skin. 

"Harry," she whispered softly. When he didn't respond, she smiled, slipped out of her dressing gown, and slid into bed next to him. She doused the light with her wand, locked and silenced the door with another quick motion, and did a brushing and flossing spell on both her and Harry's teeth. No point in adding tooth decay to their list of problems. Harry stirred, rolling to his side to face her. She watched him sleep for awhile, snuggling close. His arm automatically crept around her, pulling her body warmly against his.

* * *

Harry awoke later in the night. He squinted at the clock and turned to watch Ginny sleep. 

"Harry, it creeps me out when people stare at me," Ginny said, startling him. She opened her eyes and smiled at his astonished expression. "Just kidding. What's the matter? Can't sleep? Bad dreams? Am I hogging the bed? Snoring?"

"I was just dreaming, I guess," Harry answered, propping himself up on his elbow.

"About me?" Ginny's eyebrows rose suggestively.

"Er, no..." Harry answered, then was suddenly horrified at the thought of having one of _those_ dreams about Ginny while she was actually sleeping in his bed.

"So you do dream about me sometimes?"

"Erm," Harry wondered what he should say. He decided to go with the truth and hope she didn't ask for details. "Yes, actually, I dream about you quite a lot."

"What do I wear in your dreams?" Ginny smiled wickedly.

Harry gave her a speculative look. "Oddly enough, it's this kind of shirt thing that you're wearing." He ran a finger under the shoulder strap of her camisole top. "And Snitch boxers."

Ginny looked shocked.

Harry thought he'd quite possibly stepped over a line somehow and hurried to describe the dream that awakened him.

"So erm, anyway, in my dream, there were these things--some of them are the Horcruxes that we know about: the cup, locket and snake--and there are some other things I can't quite see or reach. Dumbledore is there, trying to give me a rope ladder, but as soon as I grab it, it turns into snakes. I've had the same dream before, but it really doesn't make sense."

"Well, Luna will help when she gets here," Ginny said. "She is really quite good at dream interpretation." She reached out to trail her fingers down his chest and stomach. "We just won't ask her the meanings of _all_ of your dreams."

Harry followed her lead, his fingers tracing a path from her shoulder blade, down the ridges of her ribs and dip of her waist, then up to the curve of her hip. He stopped. These weren't the usual baggy cotton pajama pants she wore.

"Did you transfigure your pajamas?"

"Actually, no, these are an early birthday present for you."

He was intrigued. His fingers found the hem of the shorts and tickled the back of her thigh. "So, you got me shorts and you're wearing them for me?"

"Wellll," she drawled huskily. "You should ask..." She slid closer. "Are the shorts the present?" She kissed his neck and whispered, "Or are they just the wrapping?"


	11. Lunaville

Disclaimer: Again, not mine. I did slightly alter the info about secret-keepers to try comply with JKR's website.

**_Lunaville_**

Harry awoke to sunlight streaming through the window. Ginny was gone, and he felt strangely bereft. He stooped to pull the sheets up over the pillows to fix the bed. "_Not as neat as the house-elves do, but good enough to pass a Mrs. Weasley inspection. Except for that small lump there…"_ He tugged on the blankets again, trying to find the one causing the wrinkle. Finally, in frustration, he dug an arm under the sheet and triumphantly pulled out a rumpled ball of silky fabric.

"Well, well, what have we here?" He shook it and stared. Silk Snitch boxers. Grinning, he added them to the clothes he'd selected to wear for the day and proceeded to the shower.

Ginny had rapped loudly on the door to her and Hermione's room earlier, and sent messages with her watch that had urgency alarms. Now, armed with her wand, she rapped again to undo Hermione's locking spell and slowly turned the knob. "I'm coming in to get my clothes," she warned. "You'd better be decent. Or at least covered." She shielded her eyes so she could only see her own side of the room as she rummaged through her things for clean clothes. Hearing Ron snore, she automatically glanced over her shoulder, then immediately wished she hadn't. Ron was almost entirely entangled in the sheets, his back facing Ginny with one bare leg thrown over the mess of blankets. Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Ginny's eyes narrowed and her lips twitched in a devious little smile. She carefully edged closer, wand at the ready, clothing clutched in her left hand. After a murmured incantation and a few swift wand slashes, she bolted. She raced for the bathroom and threw herself inside, laughing hysterically.

Harry's voice reached her from behind the shower curtain.

"You don't do much for a bloke's self-esteem, laughing at him in the shower." He peered out after shutting off the water.

Ginny had the grace to blush and cover her eyes, though she peeked between her fingers.

"Sorry Harry, I didn't know you were still in here," she giggled. "I'm not laughing at you."

"What's so funny then?" he asked suspiciously.

"Ron," she gasped, howling with unrestrained laughter again. "Tattoo."

Harry sniggered without really knowing why as he pulled his wand and clothes into the shower stall. He levitated his clothing and used a drying charm on himself. "Gin, do you see my shirt out there?" He only heard more giggling in response.

Harry emerged then, barefoot and shirtless, his hair rumpled and damp.

"Drat, I was hoping you'd be wearing just a towel again," Ginny said saucily, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder. "Still..." Her gaze raked him appreciatively from head to toe. "Very, very nice." Her eyes paused at the barely-visible waistband of a familiar pair of boxers. She moistened her lips as she admired his toned torso. "You're cute without glasses, too," she commented. "Makes your eyes even more green."

"How much more green can you get than 'fresh pickled toad?'" Harry squinted at her, cleaning his glasses with a soft towel. "Speaking of eyes, have you seen my shirt?" He clicked his glasses with his wand and muttered "_Impervious_."

Now he clearly saw what he'd missed earlier. Thoughts of pickled toads and missing shirts disappeared. Ginny was standing in front of him, brown eyes sparkling and cheeks pink from laughing. Her hands were behind her back, and her dressing gown had come untied. He could see how very little she was wearing underneath. He forced his eyes to stay focused on her face so his brain wouldn't fog up like the mirror.

"How did you get in here, anyway?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You're an amateur door-locker. Remember I've had _years _of practice." She grinned. "My brothers could never keep me out of anything. Not even Bill, and he knows curses that keep tombs locked for ages."

"Yes, your brothers are pretty skilled with locks," Harry agreed. "And, erm, Beater bats." He winced at the thought. "I'm going to start breakfast," he said, opening the door to leave.

"Oh, Harry?"

He turned questioningly… and walked straight into the edge of the open door when she dropped her robe. "You could stay…"

She was giggling again as he swiftly exited, face flushed, swearing under his breath. "She's trying to kill me," he grumbled. "How am I supposed to concentrate on saving the wizarding world with that image in my head?"

He finished dressing and was still rubbing his head halfway down the stairs when he met Hermione on her way up, Crookshanks at her heels.

"Morning Harry," she said. "Hedwig and Pig have returned. Could you get the address for Neville and Luna? Tonks and Professor Lupin are going to go get them."

Harry frowned. "But I'm not the Ssecret-Keeper. Dumbledore was… Who is the new one? Isn't it still under the Fidelius Charm?"

"It's still under the charm, Harry, don't worry," Hermione reassured. "Professor Lupin said Dumbledore left some slips of parchment with the address. They should have been in the box McGonagall gave you with your cloak. You are the legal owner of the house, however, so you can re-do the charm with a new Secret-Keeper.

"Thanks. I'll work on that. Meanwhile, I'll go find Tonks and Lupin so they can get Neville and Luna. Would your parents want to start moving in today instead of tomorrow?"

Hermione smiled gratefully. "That would be nice, Harry, I'll ask them if they're ready."

* * *

Tonks and Lupin were in the kitchen, sipping tea. Harry gave them both slips of parchment and pulled out a frying pan, bacon and eggs. Lupin set a stack of plates, cups and flatware on the table, and Tonks offered to make toast. 

Harry glanced at Lupin, who shook his head vehemently behind Tonks, his eyes wide. She whirled and he immediately assumed a look of supreme innocence, gazing at the ceiling and pretending to scratch behind his ear.

"_Fleas_, dear?" she growled. "I _can_ make toast without setting fire to the kitchen, you know." Tonks pretended to sulk as she sat down and went back to her tea. "Although..." She smirked, buffing her nails. "The klutzy routine has got me out of kitchen chores for _years_!"

Lupin huffed as he evenly toasted sliced bread with his wand. "Are you saying you'd rather starve than clean the dishes?"

"Who needs food? We can live on _love_." Tonks tilted her head with her hands clasped over her heart and batted her eyes at him.

Harry snickered at her phony romantic tone. He glanced over his shoulder to check her appearance for this particular performance. Long, honey-blonde hair curled softly around her shoulders, and her eyes were huge blue orbs; wistfully soulful.

A loud scream echoed upstairs, followed by pounding footsteps. Mrs. Black's portrait screeched insults as well, adding to the cacophony.

-"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS BESMIRCHING THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK!"-

"GINNY, YOU ARE DEAD MEAT!"

Shrieks accompanied curses hurled back and forth.

_"Furnunculus_!" _CRASH_

_"__Avis! Oppugno!" Thwack-thwack-thwac__k_

_-"_VILE EXCUSES FOR WIZARDING KIND! SHOULD BE WIPED FROM THE FACE OF THE…" -

"_Densaugeo!"_ _BOOM_

_"Tarantallegra_!" _Tappity-tappity-tap_

_"EXPELLIARMUS_!" Hermione's voice finally exploded over the incredible racket. "_Finite Incantatem!"_

Ginny careened down the stairs, arms over her head, pursued by a flock of canaries.

Lupin flicked his wand to Vanish the offending birds. "Whose teeth need shrinking after that Densaugeo hex? And why are you practicing your dueling in the hallway?"

Ginny started giggling. "R-Ron…. t-t-tattoo…" She slid to the floor, clutching her stomach.

Harry stared in consternation, pointing his wand at her. "_Finite Incantatem!_" He looked at Tonks and shrugged blankly. "Thought maybe it was a Rictusempra jinx."

Ron burst through the kitchen door then, wearing pajamas obviously pulled on in haste, inside out and backwards. His eyes were crazed and his hair stood on end. Nostrils flaring, he pointed a long, bony finger at his sister and cried ominously, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your Pygmy Puff, too!" He spun on his heel and stalked back through the door, limping slightly and gingerly rubbing the right side of his bum.

Tonks squeezed her eyes shut, turned her hair to chestnut plaits and transfigured her trainers into ruby red slippers, clicking the heels together. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home… Oh wait, I'm still here. Damn. Oh, I know! I'll be Glinda, the good witch!" She morphed her hair back to long blonde curls.

_This is bizarre_. Harry felt his head for lumps. He wondered if he had another concussion. He bemusedly went back to tending the bacon and eggs on the stove.

Tonks continued her Glinda impersonation, regally pointing her wand at Remus. "Wicked wizard! You have no power here! Now begone, before somebody drops a house on you!"

Lupin assumed a dueling stance. _"Aguamenti_!" The blast of water sent her stumbling backwards and she slipped, dropping to the floor. "Hmm." He peered at her closely. "Aren't you supposed to melt now?"

Tonks pounced on him, chortling, "Oho! I was mistaken! You are a heartless lion who needs a brain!"

Hermione walked into the kitchen. She blinked at the sight of her professor and an Auror, soaking wet and wrestling in the puddles on the floor. Ginny was laughing so hard she wasn't making any noise anymore, just convulsing with tears running down her face, trying to catch her breath. Harry was setting breakfast on the table, ignoring the surrounding insanity.

"What did Ron hit her with, anyway?" Harry inclined his head toward his hysterical girlfriend.

"Nothing," Hermione shrugged. "He missed. And here's her wand."

She turned to the adults who were still on the floor, but now wrestling in an rather different manner. "Shall I hose them with ice water? I was hoping they could get Luna and Neville soon, so they can get my parents this afternoon."

Lupin hastily pushed Tonks off of him and stood up. He dried himself, Tonks and the floor with his wand before seating themselves at the table, wearing identical guilty expressions.

"Bit reminiscent of McGonagall, isn't she?" Tonks whispered loudly.

"Think she'll give us detention?" Lupin assumed a worried expression.

Hermione shook her head. "I think everyone in this house has cabin fever. It's summer! We all need to get out and do something."

"Brilliant! Let's go swimming!" Tonks suggested.

"First things first," Lupin said. He quickly finished his breakfast, levitated his dishes to the sink and strode to the door. "I'll have Neville back here in a bit, then you can get Luna, and we'll decide how to best proceed with Hermione's parents."

Hermione turned to face Ginny, who had finally calmed down, though still prone to random bursts of giggling. "How long until your _artwork_ wears off?"

"Artwork?" Harry raised an eyebrow, finally putting two and two together. "Hang on... You gave Ron a real tattoo?"

"Well, just a small one." Ginny grinned. "And in a very inconspicuous location."

"Do I get one too, then?" Harry asked.

"I'll do yours later."

"How long until it wears off, Ginny?" Hermione asked again, a bit less nicely.

"Not long." Ginny shrugged. "A few hours or so."

Hermione walked out of the kitchen, shaking her head and grumbling.

"So it really wears off after a few hours?" Harry asked.

"Well, it might _seem_ to…" She gazed innocently at the ceiling.

Tonks shook her head in wonder. "You know, I went to school with Charlie, but I just never would have believed your parents capable of producing so many little evil geniuses."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow. "Some of us are more genius than others," she said haughtily.

Ron and Hermione joined them and Ron glowered at his sister who smiled brightly.

"That was such fun, Ron! We haven't done that since we were kids."

"You tattooed each other and fought with wands when you were kids?" Harry asked.

"Well, no, just the pranking, chasing and tussling part," Ginny said. "The wands do add an extra element of surprise, don't they?" She munched on a rasher of bacon.

They all piled their dishes in the sink when they were finished, and were just washing up when they heard the front door open.

"Neville!" "How are you, mate?" "Glad you're here!" The teens welcomed their friend with claps on the back and handshakes.

Neville beamed. "Hi Harry, Ron! Nice to see you Hermione, Ginny. You must be Auror Tonks. I've not met you properly. I'm Neville Longbottom."

"Nice to meet you Neville." Tonks reached for his hand, shaking it enthusiastically. "I'd best be off to get Luna then. I'll be back shortly!" Tonks left through the front door as the noise level of friends reacquainting increased.

True to her word, Tonks returned in what seemed like minutes. Luna smiled dreamily at her friends' greetings. "Hello everyone. I was glad to get your note, Hermione. Dad is going to Sweden hunting Crumple-Horned Snorkacks again this summer, but I thought this sounded more interesting."

Harry smiled wryly. _Only Luna would say preparing for battle with Voldemort sounds 'interesting._'

Ron and Ginny enthusiastically took Neville and Luna on a whirlwind tour of the house. They dropped their trunks in their new rooms and went to investigate the War Room through the cabinet.

Harry and Hermione discussed afternoon plans with Tonks and Lupin.

"It's a sunny summer afternoon," Tonks implored. "Death Eaters wouldn't dare come outside. They'd get sunburned!"

"Isn't there a pond at the Burrow?" Hermione asked. "Why don't we just go there? Then you can play Quidditch if you want, too. It shouldn't take long to collect my parents."

Agreement reached, Lupin and Hermione left and Harry inquired about whether there were enough clean rooms for everyone to be comfortable. Tonks had moved into Lupin's quarters so Luna could have her room, and Neville had a room down the hall. Sirius' suite had been cleaned for the Grangers.

"There's still another whole floor of rooms we can make ready for the Weasleys, should they choose to stay here as well." Tonks shrugged. "In fact, I believe that's on our training agenda for next week. Remus thinks with all the Dark objects still in the house, it will be an excellent learning opportunity. Cleaning Mrs. Black's room won't be a picnic, that's for sure. It was pretty awful even before Buckbeak moved in. Poor thing, I'm sure he's happier now with Hagrid."

"Have you seen Hagrid lately?" Harry asked in concern. "You know, maybe we should visit him and get ingredients for the Wolfsbane potion from Professor Slughorn while we're there."

Tonks nodded agreeably. "I'll just leave a note here telling Remus where we've gone."

* * *

Hermione's parents were sipping tea at their kitchen table when Lupin and Hermione arrived. Lupin shook her father's hand while Hermione hugged her mother. She turned to assist Lupin, shrinking their belongings as quickly as possible and throwing everything haphazardly into a knapsack. 

"What's the hurry, sweetheart?" Hermione's mother asked.

"I don't know, Mum, I have just have a bad feeling…" Her eyes widened as a deep gong reverberated through the house. "The wards! We have to go now!" she gasped, throwing the last of the shrunken items in the bag. She grasped her father's arm as Lupin took her mother's, and with pounding hearts, they Disapparated.

At the park near Headquarters, Lupin quickly Disillusioned Hermione and her parents. Tersely, he instructed her to make sure they were really her parents while he secured the area. Hermione asked them security questions and showed them the slip of paper with the address on it. Being Muggles, they couldn't see the exterior of the house, but Hermione assured them it was there. They gasped as they stepped into a house out of thin air.

"Let's get your things up to your rooms." Hermione smiled. "You have unpacking to do."

* * *

Kingsley dropped in at Headquarters as the group was preparing to depart for the Burrow. He confirmed that the wards at Hermione's parents' house had indeed been breached, but there had been no evidence of damage. He ordered Hermione to go back with Lupin and Tonks the next day to see if anything was missing, especially personal items like hairbrushes, as hair could be used in Polyjuice Potion.

Hermione refused to let the occurrence change their plans, so the group ate a quick lunch and Flooed to the Burrow, wearing swimming costumes under their clothes and carrying sunscreen potion and brooms.

* * *

Hermione conjured a large raft for sunbathing and watched the others playing Quidditch. She pulled her shirt over her head and slipped off her shorts, wearing a simple blue bikini. She smirked when she heard Harry yelling at Ron to keep his eyes on the game. She leaned over the side to check on Luna and Neville, who hadn't wanted to play either. They were swimming in the pond using the Bubble-head charm to investigate the flora and fauna underwater. She watched Luna enthusiastically pursuing something that looked suspiciously like a garden gnome with oddly placed fins. Neville was taking samples of various mosses and seaweeds. 

"Why can't life be like this all the time?" she wondered aloud. She muttered a cushioning charm on the raft and positioned herself to catch the best rays as well as keep an eye on the progress of the Quidditch match. Ron and Bill were Keepers, Harry and Ginny played opposing Seekers, Fred and Tonks played Chaser positions for Ron's team, while George and Lupin were on Bill's. They weren't playing with Bludgers, in the interest of having an injury-free game, so no Beaters were required. Hermione noted that Tonks, who could be clumsy on the ground, was a very graceful and accomplished flyer. She watched the game for several minutes before a slow smile spread over her face.

"_Induviae Perspicuus_," she whispered, inconspicuously waving her wand. She slipped her wand under her towel and stretched out on her back, fingers interlaced behind her head. "What I wouldn't do for my Omnioculars right now..."

Harry, who was spending nearly as much time watching Ginny as he was looking for the Snitch, was the first to notice something odd. He caught a glimpse of something pale when Ginny spun in a tight circle, and the longer he stared, the more white he could see. Puzzled, he swooped closer. Ginny, who was enjoying her new broom, saw him coming and sped away at top speed, laughing. _"Catch me if you can!"_

Harry dove after her. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a metallic glint and automatically snared it out of the air, stuffing it in his pocket. _"No need to advertise the catch,"_ he thought. _"The game is just getting interesting."_ He continued his pursuit of Ginny, who glanced back and shrieked, swerving to elude capture. Harry saw a flash of lime green.

Lupin squinted and shaded his eyes with his hand, staring intently at Tonks, who suddenly seemed to be sporting nothing but a pink bikini and a Quaffle under her arm.

Bill, who had dutifully been keeping his eyes trained on the Quaffle, suddenly lost his seat on his broom and his jaw dropped as Tonks zoomed in, tossing the Quaffle through his middle hoop. She whooped in delight and Bill edged away from Lupin, eyes averted.

Harry panted a bit as he pulled up next to his girlfriend. "Gin, you're… not wearing… anything…"

Puzzled, she slowed and glanced down. "Well, what the …" Her hand went to her stomach and she pulled invisible fabric away from her skin. "Did you turn my clothes invisible, Harry? If so, that is a bloody great spell and you better teach it to me."

Harry, who just realized his shirt had gone invisible as well, raised his eyebrows at her. "Sorry, it wasn't me. But I agree, it is a bloody great spell! Oh, I have the Snitch anyway." He reached into his pocket and held it up. "So I declare the game over and vote we go for a swim."

He handed her the Snitch, his wand and glasses, and flew out near the raft. Setting his broom on "hover," he dropped like a rock. He tucked himself in a ball, wrapping his arms around his knees and hitting the water with a great splash, drenching Hermione and making her scream. He surfaced, leaped on the raft and pushed her in. The others zoomed for the ground so they could join in.

"I'd take off my invisible shirt," Ron said to Bill as they put away their brooms. "But I'd probably never find it again."


	12. Horcrux Hide and Seek

Disclaimer: Praise be to JKR. Also, much credit to Anya and Karen at daisygrrl dot com just for providing the phrase _Naked Quidditch_!

Also, credit for Wizard of Oz references last chapter belong to L. Frank Baum and MGM. (Trivia for the day - Baum's description of Kansas in the book are actually based on his experiences while living in drought-ridden Dakota Territory.)

_**Horcrux Hide and Seek**_

Following a simple picnic supper at the Burrow, the twins headed back to their flat above their shop. Lee Jordan and Alicia Spinnet had been dating, and the twins teased them mercilessly. Fred had been going out with Angelina Johnson lately, and George and Katie Bell had begun seeing each other recently as well. The six of them often gathered at the twins' flat to watch Muggle films in the evenings. Somehow the twins had enchanted a television and VCR to work off magic. Their father was, predictably, entranced, and the twins planned to give him a set for Christmas.

"Can you believe we got the blame for that disappearing clothes trick?" Fred shook his head.

"What I can't believe is that we never thought of it first!" George said. "Think of the possibilities we missed… Naked Charms class, naked Potions… naked Quidditch!"

"Ah, but we must boldly forge ahead, into the future."

George's eyes drifted shut as a dreamy expression crossed his face. "Brilliant. Imagine the possibilities."

"Oho, this could provide a whole new line! We set the charm to react to the Dark Mark by making their robes go invisible! Think of the effect of that one on Voldyshorts. A re-enactment of The Emperor's New Clothes." Fred chuckled wickedly.

"Only way, way uglier." George grimaced. "We could trigger it by body heat, so as soon as they start warming up for throwing Unforgiveables, presto!"

"We could build that in to any of our devices right now." Fred's eyes narrowed. "Adverse reaction to the Dark Mark."

"How would we do that, though?"

"Set it to react to any Protean Charm?"

"More specific, we need to set it to react to Protean Charms bound to the skin."

"Brilliant."

* * *

Grimmauld Place was quiet. Luna and Neville had got settled into their rooms quickly, and the Grangers were trying to adjust to the strangeness of living in an invisible house, riddled with Dark magic. They had been cautioned not to touch anything. They had plenty of unpacking to do, so Hermione hesitantly left them alone in their suite. Tonks and Lupin had retired early, leaving the six young people to amuse themselves in the library. 

"Let's play Loaded Questions!" Hermione clapped her hands. "It's a game to test how well we know each other."

Harry sighed. He had barely skimmed Sirius's book, and he thought he really wanted to read. "_It'll be a late night reading by wand-light_," he thought. _"At least the subject matter is stimulating,"_

"Okay, the rules are simple," Hermione explained. "One person asks a question, and everyone writes down an answer. The questioner reads the responses and tries to puzzle out who wrote which answer. Each correct guess is worth one point."

"But I would recognize everyone's handwriting," Ginny frowned. "I wouldn't even need to read them."

"I charmed the quills so all the handwriting will look the same." Hermione looked a bit smug.

"Do we have to tell the truth?" Ron asked. "Or can we make stuff up like we did for Trelawney's homework?"

"It's up to you. Write anything you want. I'll start, shall I?" She smiled brightly and asked:

"If you could rid the earth of three creatures, which three would you dispose of?"

After a few minutes of scratching quills, Hermione scanned the five slips of parchment.

"Alright, this one that says 'spiders, acromatulas and tarantulas,' has got to be Ron. 'Dementors, Evil Dark Lords and Animagus rats,' is Harry. 'Mosquitoes, Nargles and Snarfblats,' is Luna. 'Aphids, locusts and Boggarts,' is Neville. That leaves this one, 'disobedient house-elves, incompetent Ministers of Magic, and cupid dwarves,' to be Ginny? Really Ginny," Hermione said disapprovingly, "'Disobedient house-elves?'"

Ginny grinned. "You said we didn't have to be truthful. I thought I'd get a little creative with my answers. Did I hit a nerve?" she arched her eyebrows in challenge.

"Nyah." Hermione stuck her tongue out at Ginny. "I get five points then. You go next, smarty pants."

"What is your favourite beverage?" Ginny asked.

* * *

Harry was bored senseless. This game was silly and he had better things to do than answer what his favourite color was, or his favourite food, or where he was when he got his first Hogwarts letter. He had thrown everyone off when he answered "Hermione," for "Who was your first kiss?" She had given him a kiss on the cheek once, he said, when Luna had incorrectly guessed Ron. 

_"I'd rather be doing anything else right now," _he thought restlessly._ "Even cleaning."_ Actually, cleaning Grimmauld Place hadn't been so bad two years ago; they'd found some weird things… Maybe next week's Defense classes with Lupin would be interesting. Wands-on learning was much better than textbooks. He wondered what kinds of things they might run across. Last time they'd cleaned they'd sprayed doxies out of the curtains. He wondered idly what the twins had made with the ones they'd pocketed. Then there had been that weird jewelry box that made everyone sleepy. Good thing Ginny had sense to slam it shut. Something else was tickling his memory. There was something else, something important… He scowled, fingers pressed tightly to his temples, struggling to dredge up the memories.

"Harry! It's your turn!" sang Hermione's irritatingly chipper voice. _"Argh! So close!_" The knowledge teased him, flitting in and out of his brain, just out of reach. His long fingers clenched, as if trying to help him catch the elusive thought.

He rose abruptly. "I need to go to bed. I'm really tired. You guys keep playing though. G'night." Without a backwards glance, he left the room.

Ginny stared after him worriedly. "He looked like he could use a headache potion," she fretted. "Maybe he got too much sun today. I'll go check on him."

Ron just shook his head. "No, he wants time alone. There's something going on in his head and he wants to sort it out. He'll tell us when he's ready," he said warningly. "Just give him a little space."

Ginny glared at him.

Neville spoke up. "It looked like he was trying to remember something. He might need quiet to think."

Ginny frowned at both boys. "Fine, let's get back to the game then."

* * *

Harry restlessly prowled his and Ron's room. He picked things up and set them down. Thinking a snack might help, he made his way down to the basement kitchen. He dug a biscuit out of a jar and munched it while he opened cupboard doors haphazardly, glanced inside and shut them again. Opposite the pantry, he yanked open the door to the boiler room. Lighting his wand, he peered inside. Something reflective in the far corner gave his stomach a jolt. "_Ugh. Kreacher's rubbish,_" he realized. 

Sighing, he crept in to get a closer look. He supposed someone should look after the elf's effects, and he _had _technically been Harry's elf at the end. _"Damn it. That foul little bastard betrayed us all, and I feel guilty because I don't care that he died."_

There was a massive pile of pictures, old clothing and other cast-offs. Harry rifled through the pile, and tugged on a heavy gold chain that finally triggered the elusive memory. Something in his chest tightened in anticipation. He was holding his breath when the chain came loose and Harry found himself gazing at the unopenable locket they'd discovered two years ago.

He glanced frantically over the rest of the pile, wondering for a moment if perhaps Regulus had accumulated any other Horcruxes for Kreacher to squirrel away. There was no sign of Hufflepuff's cup, nor anything that looked remarkable enough to be Ravenclaw's or Gryffindor's. He wrapped the locket in an old rag, careful not to touch the pendant itself. He knew they had all handled it before, but he clearly remembered Katie Bell's near-death experience with a different cursed locket and didn't want to take any risks.

Harry hardly believed he had found the mysterious locket at last. It was almost as if he'd been driven to it. Holding the grubby package in his hand, crouched alone in a dark, cobwebby cupboard, he felt a strange urge. The necklace seemed to call him, urging him to put it around his neck. Excitement and dread pounded through his veins and he felt power emanating from the package. He could _have_ that power if he'd just put it on… He shuddered, his hand tightening.

A fleeting thought wormed into his mind. _I won't tell the others, won't tell anyone. This is mine, my secret…power…_ Foreign emotions crept through his veins: greed, selfishness… As his hand pulled the package closer to his chest, his eyes widened in fear and horror. "No, no, NO!" He fought an internal battle, staring at the rag-wrapped locket still in his hand.

He remembered feeling drawn to Riddle's diary, but it hadn't been nearly this strong. He had even handled this very locket before, and had not noticed such a pull. Why was he reacting this way? They'd been in the house for weeks, why had it attracted him now? Had Voldemort done something to activate it? Could he be calling out to his Horcruxes as a way to add to his own power? Or was it beacon, calling Voldemort to find it?

"Oh bloody hell," he gasped, horrified. He scrambled out of the cupboard, colliding with a very anxious Ginny.

He threw the package on the table and backed away from it, pulling Ginny with him.

"Harry, calm down." He shuddered as she rubbed his back. "Harry, love, you're going to hyperventilate. Slow down. What's the matter?" she asked when he seemed to have pulled himself together. "What is that thing?" She frowned at the grimy bundle on the table. She reached out for it, but Harry jerked her back.

"No! Don't touch it," he snapped sharply. "It's that damned bloody locket."

"Oh Merlin, Harry, you found the Horcrux? How did you find it?" She grinned. "This is great! You are so amazing!" She pulled him down for a series of excited kisses. The ice in his blood thawed a bit.

"You tell me to catch my breath just so you can take it away again?"

She just smiled and dragged him out of the kitchen. "Come on, let's get the others!"

Ginny raced to the library to tell the others, while Harry headed up to Lupin's room. He paused before knocking, hearing voices.

"Remus, quit calling me Nymphadora! You know I hate that name," Tonks said, exasperated.

"Sorry, love. Perhaps you'd prefer Nymph-adorable?" Lupin teased.

Harry shook his head and knocked firmly. He would have a word with Lupin about remembering Silencing Charms on doors. _"Nymphadorable. Really, that's worse than Mollywobbles. What is it with adults and their weird nicknames?"_

"Professor Lupin?" Harry called through the closed door, "We have a Horcrux in the kitchen. Come down when you can, please."

* * *

In the kitchen, the locket gleamed malevolently from the middle of the table. Ginny dumped it out of the rag it was wrapped in, but no one touched it. 

"Regulus must have brought it here and hidden it, then was killed before he could destroy it," Hermione guessed. "We found it when we were cleaning two years ago, and Kreacher took it to hide in his cupboard."

Harry related the story of his discovery to the group, as well as the fears he had of it being a homing beacon to Voldemort.

"Even if he could track it, he couldn't get in here because of the Fidelius Charm," Hermione said.

"No, but Snape could. We have to re-do that charm, and soon." Harry's voice was clipped.

"Harry, perhaps it was simply caused by close proximity to it," Lupin suggested. "You were in the kitchen for a long time this morning, making breakfast. Did you notice anything then?"

"No, I really didn't." Harry frowned thoughtfully. "Things were kind of crazy this morning."

"But that's when you started getting that little twitch in your subconscious?" Lupin queried.

"No, I think it was when we got back here from the Burrow."

"Well, it could have been pulling at you all along," Tonks suggested. "You were distracted this morning. Then at the Burrow the pull was gone, so you only really felt it again when you returned here."

Harry looked doubtful. "Regardless, we need to destroy it as soon as possible."

"First, we need to call Dobby," Hermione said.

_CRACK._

"Sirs and Misses call for Dobby?"

Neville and Luna seemed unsurprised by the house-elf, until they noticed he was wearing clothes. Luna actually blinked, and Neville's eyes widened.

"Dobby," Harry said earnestly, "Meet Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. They're going to help us. If they give you something, you can track them as well, yes?"

"Oh yes, Harry Potter sir!" Dobby writhed excitedly. "Dobby loves helping Harry Potter and his friends! Harry Potter's friends are very nice to Dobby."

"Excellent! They can go get some socks for you." Luna and Neville went to get him a sock. "Dobby, I'm sorry to call you so late. Do you remember that thing I asked you about before? I need to know if you remember anything with magic in it like this."

Dobby waved his hands over the locket for a moment, then picked it up. He turned it over, inspecting it critically.

"Could you use it to find the rest of the soul pieces?" Hermione asked eagerly.

Dobby's ears drooped sadly. "No Miss, the living bit inside is very small, and the locket has been held by too many people for Dobby to trace."

"If you had another piece, would that work?" Ginny asked.

Dobby frowned. "Dobby might could do it with two pieces. Dobby would try very hard."

"I don't want that thing here if we aren't going to destroy it right away," Harry said uneasily. "Is there somewhere we could keep it until we destroy it? And not in the Room of Requirement," Harry cautioned. "Malfoy has hidden stuff in there. Not down in the Chamber either. If there is any kind of outside entrance to the Chamber, you can bet Riddle would know about it."

Suddenly Dobby clapped his hands in delight. "Dobby has an idea!" He Summoned an old silver goblet from a cupboard and Transfigured it into a trophy. He dropped the locket inside and sealed it shut. "This is special house-elf magic!"

When he turned the trophy to Harry for approval, Harry gave him a lopsided smile. "Uh, that's really great Dobby, that's excellent. Good job." He patted the proud little elf on the shoulder. Dobby's tennis ball eyes were filled with adoration as Harry passed the trophy around to the others.

"Harry Potter - Special Services to Hogwarts."

"What's the matter, mate?" Harry frowned at Ron. "You look like you've seen a dementor."

"Harry…" Ron gaped at him, "Tom Riddle has a trophy just like this."


	13. Darkness and Dreams

I'm not JKR, and I've never claimed to be. Dream interpretations courtesy of dreammoods dot com.

Cryptic bits of song lyrics from Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London," of course.

_**Darkness and Dreams**_

Dobby Disapparated back to Hogwarts, carrying the Transfigured trophy containing one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. The rest of the group turned to stare at Ron.

Ron swallowed nervously. "Second year, I tried to curse Malfoy and ended up sicking up slugs, remember? I got detention with Filch in the Trophy Room. I finally quit gagging and was polishing trophies, without magic." Ron gesticulated wildly. "I got to Tom Riddle's and started puking again. I had to polish that one over and over because it kept making me vomit. After I got past that one, I was fine again. Maybe it's a Horcrux! Maybe that's why it made me sick!"

"Dumbledore would have found a Horcrux right under his own nose like that, wouldn't he?" Hermione asked shrewdly, glancing up from sorting through potions ingredients. "How would Voldemort have got the trophy out to make it into a Horcrux and then sneak it back into the Trophy Room?"

Harry frowned. "He was proud of that award. He got it after framing Hagrid for Moaning Myrtle's death. Dumbledore said the diary and ring were the first Horcruxes. Riddle made them while still at school, when he was about our age. The locket and cup were next, while he was working for Borgin & Burkes.

"The fifth one we don't know. I saw in the Pensieve that Riddle came back to the school to ask Dumbledore for a teaching job. Dumbledore said he didn't really want to teach, though, and he wondered why Riddle would want to be at Hogwarts.

"After awhile, he realized Riddle wanted to search the school for something of Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's to make his last two Horcruxes. Obviously, since he didn't get a job at Hogwarts, he didn't get to do that, but he would have had time to nick his trophy from the Trophy Room that day." Harry shrugged. "It could be possible."

"Anyone could have put it back in there for him," Ron suggested. "Malfoy told us in first year that the Trophy Room is never locked. He challenged Harry to a Wizards' Duel up there, remember?"

Hermione shook her head. "The ring and the locket were heavily protected. It doesn't seem likely that he'd just stick a Horcrux in a glass case for anyone to see."

"Sometimes, out in the open is the best place to hide something," Luna said sagely. "And Hogwarts is protected by Flagelets, among other things."

"The diary was meant to be seen," Ginny reminded stonily. "He meant that one to be used as a weapon. It sounds like this locket was too, the way it affected Harry."

"Hmm," Hermione mused. "I wonder if that would happen to anyone who found one of his Horcruxes. They may be cursed to enchant the person who finds them. Any witch or wizard would eventually provide Riddle with the means to recreate his body at the age he was when he made that particular Horcrux. Any vaporized version of him would be able to join the recreated Horcrux body and soul version."

"So if he had succeeded in the Chamber..." Ginny chewed her lip. "If Harry hadn't destroyed the diary, Tom would have become human again and found that vaporized soul part of himself in Albania to absorb?"

"That seems a reasonable possibility," Lupin said. "He could have had any Death Eater acquire a Horcrux to recreate his body at any time in that manner. Maybe that's why Regulus knew about the locket. Perhaps that was one of Voldemort's backup plans, and Regulus was to retrieve the locket in the event of Voldemort's demise. However, Regulus tried to get out of it instead and was killed, but had already stolen the locket and brought it here. Voldemort must not have discovered the deception before his downfall. Ultimately Voldemort decided that he wanted to use Harry's blood to recreate his body instead, leaving his Horcruxes alone."

"You know, from what you've told us, Harry," Tonks said, "I think Dumbledore may have been mistaken about Nagini being a Horcrux. I don't think Riddle has made his last Horcrux yet. There's no way killing an old Muggle caretaker would have qualified as a significant death. Nothing worthy of splitting his soul over, anyway. Plus he didn't even have his real body back yet, then. I can't imagine that ugly baby snake body was powerful enough for that kind of complex magic. Of course, he's had plenty of opportunities to make Nagini a Horcrux since then. Amelia Bones or Emmeline Vance, as Order members, would have been important."

"I suppose that's what Snape meant when he said Voldemort has plans for me," Harry said. "Maybe he still needs me to make another Horcrux. He knows the diary was destroyed. Maybe he wants to replace that one. Whether she's a Horcrux yet or not, Nagini will be destroyed."

"Back to Riddle's trophy," Neville spoke up tentatively. "Can Dobby bring it here? Is there a way to test it to see if it's a Horcrux?"

"I don't want Dobby risking himself," Harry said. "Most of the other Horcruxes have been heavily protected and dangerous. It may have spells that keep it from being removed from Hogwarts."

"Tom would have got some perverse pleasure out of Dumbledore unknowingly helping protect his Horcrux," Ginny said.

Tonks cleared her throat. "You know, we've been assuming he stole the trophy after he finished school. Wouldn't it seem more plausible that he made the ring, diary and trophy at the same time, with the three Riddles' deaths?"

Harry's lips formed a thin line. "Hogwarts trip tomorrow," he said grimly. "We'll check the trophy first, and then I think it's time to revisit the Chamber."

Ron and Hermione turned anxiously to Ginny. She stared back determinedly, but her face had gone pale, making her freckles more prominent.

"You don't have to go," Ron said to her. "In fact, you shouldn't."

"No." Ginny's chin came up a notch. "I'm going with you. There's nothing down there to be scared of now. I'll be fine."

"We'll take our brooms," Harry said. "If anyone gets uncomfortable, or needs a break, it's no problem to get out."

* * *

As his friends filtered out of the kitchen, Harry frowned. He caught Ron's eye for a moment and something seemed to pass between them. Ginny sidled up to Harry and slipped her hand in his. He looked down at her and smiled, but his mind was elsewhere. 

She narrowed her eyes and whispered, "_Legilimens._" Annoyance and frustration flickered across her features. "Harry, you're getting too good at that. How am I supposed to figure out what you're up to?" she pouted. "All I saw was a broom cupboard."

"Did you recognize that broom closet?" he asked seriously.

"No."

"Hmm, one more thing to investigate at Hogwarts then." He nodded solemnly. "I'm almost certain there is something important in there."

"Why, is that where Tom had his first shag or something?" Ginny asked. "I don't remember hearing about that memory in the Pensieve."

"Well, there's a happy little fantasy," Harry said. "That is very, very disturbing. I will never look at broom closets in the same way again." He shook his head mournfully.

"I'm sure they've been cleaned since," Ginny said dryly.

"No, no." Harry turned to leave the kitchen. "You've talked me out of it, sorry."

"Wait!" She laughed, chasing him. "I'm sure Tom wouldn't snog in a common old broom closet! He probably preferred a classier setting, like the huge tub in the prefects' bathroom!"

Harry made gagging noises. "Okay, you have completely ruined Hogwarts daydreams for me now. Everywhere I look, I'll picture Tom's scrawny naked arse. I've seen it; it's not a pretty sight." He clamped his eyes tightly shut and shuddered. "Gin, you better sleep in your room tonight, I'm not feeling well."

Still chuckling, Ginny retorted, "At least I know you won't picture his body when you see me naked."

"Hey thanks, Gin, you're really making this waiting thing easier. I think we ought to wait till you're at least seventeen now."

"Ha," she snorted. "Is that a challenge? Just how long do you think you can hold out on me? Shall we place a friendly wager?"

Harry paused at the girls' bedroom door. He smiled lazily and tapped it with his wand. "Oi, Ron! Your sister wants something."

"Just give it to her, mate, now go away."

Ginny laughed smugly. "You see? It is useless to resist me."

"Ron," Harry said more loudly. "Think about what you just said."

Harry whispered, "Three, two, one…"

_BAM!_

The door crashed open and Ron leaped out, shoving Ginny inside and slamming the door.

"G'night Gin!" Harry laughed over his shoulder, following Ron down the hall to the room they shared.

Harry shut the door behind them and clicked it with his wand. He waited a few moments until glowed slightly. He shook his head with a knowing smile. Ron looked puzzled.

"Harry, that wasn't the right spell to lock the door," he began, but stopped when Harry silently shushed him and mentally projected an image of Ginny listening on the other side.

"Why don't you Imperterb it, mate?"

"No need," Harry said, "I just wanted to talk to you about tomorrow."

Ron waited, narrowed eyes flicking between the door and Harry's face.

"Erm, I don't want you giving Ginny a hard time about the Chamber," Harry began. "She's determined to go and she's very capable. She might be able to remember something that would help us. It's not going to be fun, but we know the Chamber would be a logical place for Voldemort to hide something. If not a Horcrux, then possibly some clues toward finding the rest of them."

Ron frowned. "All right, mate," he sighed. "I know she wants to face it, and she deserves the chance, I guess. Mum will kill us if she finds out, though."

Harry grimly gave him a thumbs-up signal of approval for catching on and playing along. "Thanks."

"No problem." Ron stared at him, arms crossed. He looked meaningfully at the still-glowing door. "You ready for lights out?"

"I wanted to read a bit, d'you mind?"

"G'night, then."

"Night, Ron."

They waited until the door stopped glowing, then Harry cast _Muffliato_.

"What was that all about?" Ron frowned. "Trying to earn bonus points with Ginny?"

"No," Harry said. "I let her eavesdrop on purpose. She'd have known if I Imperturbed the door. I don't want her to figure out that, at some point, we'll be leaving her behind. I figured that the Chamber would be the safest place we need to look, and maybe her memories will lessen her enthusiasm for the project. Maybe she'll be more content to stay where it's safe, yeah?"

"If she thinks you're off to do something dangerous, there's no way she'll let you go anywhere without her, no matter what it is." Ron sat on his bed, scratching his jaw thoughtfully. "But if she just thinks it's boring, creepy and slimy… not to mention reeking of four-year-dead giant snake…Yeah, she might not mind missing an adventure like that."

"I hope so," Harry said. "I haven't a clue if there's a Horcrux down there, but I do want to pick up a few things when we visit."

"What was down there you could possibly want?" Ron sounded repulsed.

"Snake fangs."

* * *

"What is it with you and that song?" Lupin lay on the bed, propped on his elbow, trying to read. He had just turned the volume down with a flick of his wand. He got edgier as the moon waxed fuller. 

"I love the piano," Tonks grinned. "It has such a snazzy beat. And the singer has a cool name. Zevon. It's so fun and...zippy."

"And the fact it's about a 'Hairy gent who ran amuck in Kent?'" He raised a brow sardonically.

"Just a bonus." She shrugged, climbing over the foot of the bed to creep over his legs. By the time she reached his neck with her lips, he'd dropped the book on the bedside table, flicked off the lights--and turned up the music.

* * *

Harry awoke to the comfortable sensation of a warm body pressed close to his. That position became uncomfortable very quickly, however, especially when he realized Ron was still in the bed on the other side of the room. 

"Gin," he whispered. "Ginny? Gin, wake up."

"Mmmpf."

Harry sighed. He slid out of bed, grabbed his wand and clothes and headed for the shower. If Ron woke to find his sister in Harry's bed, it would be best if Harry wasn't in it as well.

"Harry," Hermione caught him in the hall. "Lupin, my dad and I are going to Apparate over to my house. Kingsley wanted us to check to see if anything was missing. Dad also wanted to pick up a few more things. We left in rather a hurry, and didn't get quite everything. I'll take Crookshanks as well. He's very good at sniffing out anything untrustworthy."

"Poor Crookshanks," Harry said sympathetically. "He's going to hate Apparition. You better wake Ron. He'll be irritated if you leave him behind."

"Right. I'll ask if he wants to go with then. We'll be back soon," Hermione smiled. "Don't leave for Hogwarts without us."

Harry nodded as she turned to leave. "Hey, Hermione? What kind of locking charm can I use on the door so Ginny can't get in?" His ears burned. "She seems to have made it a personal quest to unlock anything I lock, just to prove she can."

Hermione laughed. "Use a sticking charm on the door frame, and then you use this brilliant little example of Muggle technology." She handed him a triangular chuck of wood. When he just blinked at her, she rolled her eyes. "It's a door wedge; you just shove it under the door to keep it from opening."

"I _know_ what a door wedge is, Hermione," Harry said. "I just can't believe I didn't think of it. Wizards don't know how to use this complicated little Muggle contraption, then?"

Hermione snickered. "No, Ron just thinks it's a peculiar geometrical shape I use for Arithmancy. He might wonder why I take it to the shower, though, so keep it out of sight, please."

"Nah," Harry grinned. "Just tell him you thought you'd get a bit of studying done in the shower. He'd never question it."

"Well, he'd certainly question what _you're_ doing with my 'Arithmancy block' in the shower, so hurry up with it, would you? Just set it on my bureau when you're finished," she said.

Following his shower, Harry was pleased to note the door, though visibly tampered with, had held. His sticking charm hadn't stuck, but the simple little block of wood seemed to have done the trick. He slipped the block out from under the door and barely had time to hide it in his pocket before the door crashed in and Ginny fell into his arms.

"Oh, hi Harry!" She flushed guiltily. "Fancy meeting you here."

Harry's eyes danced with suppressed mirth. "Quite. Were you looking for me?"

Her gaze flicked behind him, scowling slightly at the door. Harry smirked, knowing she really wanted to know how he had managed to keep her out, but not willing to admit that she'd been attempting it in the first place.

"What's the matter? Did you tattoo Ron again?" he asked.

"No, actually, though I recall that I did promise you one." Her look turned speculative. "So what'll it be? A Hungarian Horntail on your chest?"

Harry shrugged. "How about my arm. I'll wear a sleeveless shirt to bug Ron. It only lasts a few hours anyway, right?"

"More or less," she said.

"Do your worst." He pretended to brace himself for a painful experience, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth as he pulled up the sleeve of his maroon t-shirt.

Moments later he dared to peek through one squinted eye. "You're done already? Wow, that's awesome! It's even breathing fire and smoke…. Wait, does that say something?" Sure enough, a tiny tendril of smoke unfurled to spell _Property of Ginny Weasley_. Harry sniggered. "Creative. How long will it last?"

"Erm, well, it lasts till I cancel the charm." Ginny grinned. "I can change what it says, too." She flicked her wand and the smoke spelled out, "Eat dung, Ron." She flicked it again and it read, "I love Ginny."

He chuckled. "I'll go change my shirt to something with more exposure."

"I'll help," she chirped.

Ron had gone with Hermione and Lupin, so changing Harry's shirt ended up taking several minutes longer than usual.

A knock at the door brought them back to reality. Luna's voice drifted through the door, informing them that breakfast was ready, and that she wanted to interpret Harry's dreams for him while they ate.

As they heard her soft footsteps retreating, Harry rolled his eyes. "Dream interpretation? Spectacular. Now there's some stimulating breakfast conversation. Hope she's not like Trelawney, I don't know if I can stomach dismal predictions this early in the morning." They headed for the kitchen, hand-in-hand.

Luna had a large book at the table, pointing to something on a page toward the end of the book. "To see a werewolf in your dream indicates that something in your life is not what it seems. It is symbolic of fear, repressed anger, and uncontrollable violence."

"Hm, that doesn't really sound right," Tonks sounded skeptical. "It doesn't explain why my werewolf is pink."

Luna flipped a few pages. "Ah, that makes a difference. See, 'pink represents happiness, joy, sweetness, affection, love and kindness. Being in love or healing through love is also implied in this color.' Or is your werewolf hot pink? Hot pink represents sex and lust, of course."

Tonks chortled, muttering, "I guess that explains that."

Harry and Ginny grinned as they sat next to each other at the table. Neville concentrated very hard on his bowl of cereal, trying to ignore the witches' conversation.

"Good morning all," Ginny said. "So you're already decoding dreams this morning, Luna? Good timing, really, they'll be fresh in our minds. What did you dream last night, Harry?" she gave him a sidelong glance and a look that said very clearly that she knew what he'd been dreaming about – and probably had been the cause of it.

"Well, my dreams last night weren't very clear," Harry said dryly, meeting Ginny's glance and quirking an eyebrow at her. "But I keep having this dream about Dumbledore. He's handing me a ladder, but as soon as I start climbing, it turns to snakes."

"Snakes and ladders," Tonks said thoughtfully, "Isn't that a Muggle game? You roll the dice and move spaces, climb ladders and slide down snakes…"

Luna stared at her owlishly. "And people think _I'm_ strange…" She turned back to Harry. "What kind of ladder? Does Dumbledore hold it for you or just hand it to you?"

"Er, yeah, it's a rope ladder, and he's holding it," Harry's brow furrowed in thought.

"Well, that is helpful, really," Luna smiled. "Ropes in dreams indicate a connection, or a way to tie things together. Climbing up a rope indicates your determination to succeed and overcome adversity. To dream that someone is holding a ladder for you signifies that you will find success and rise to prominence with the support of others.

"Now, snakes represent hidden fears or worries that are threatening you. Or, as a positive symbol, snakes represent transformation, knowledge, wisdom, self-renewal and positive changes.

"Do you keep a dream diary, Harry?" she peered over at him. "It could be useful. Especially if you have any more dreams about Dumbledore. He may be trying to pass you information from the beyond."

Harry nodded and promised to start one. With a quick glance at Ginny, he knew he wouldn't be making notes of quite _all _his dreams.


	14. Tales of the Darkness

Disclaimer: Never had it, never will.

_**Tales of the Darkness**_

Lord Voldemort raged.

Snape narrowed his eyes, standing unmoving in the shadows. Voldemort had already demanded the Potion Master concoct the strongest Dreamless Sleep draught he could create. He had cursed his human body and its need for sleep and Potter's name in the same breath.

"Snape." The Dark Lord filled the single syllable with malice.

"My lord." Snape approached and knelt before him.

"How is it possible that this weak, talentless boy can break through my impenetrable Occlumency shields? How is it he can disturb the slumber induced by the strongest of sleep potions? Have I been misled, Snape? Is there something you have neglected to tell me about this boy?" Voldemort's voice slithered.

Snape stood, but bowed low before speaking. "No, my lord. The boy has no special powers. You have seen the contents of his worthless mind, I believe, my lord? He has no control, nor any capacity for, the finer mental arts. The boy could not master the most rudimentary skills. Regardless of his efforts to repel invasion, his mind was entirely open. He was completely ineffective."

Red, slitted eyes bored into Snape, who bowed yet again. "Perhaps, my lord, I could be of assistance if permitted further details. I do not mean to be presumptuous, of course, my lord, but perhaps my work as a spy against Dumbledore and Potter for the past six years could be useful."

Voldemort stroked Nagini at his side, his gaze never leaving his subject. "It is your ambition, not your allegiance that I do not trust," he hissed.

"My only allegiance is to you," Snape said. "My only ambition to serve you."

"The mental invasions are sporadic," Voldemort said finally. "There are jolts of emotion unrelated to my own activities. The sensation is most annoying."

Snape nodded once and waited for Voldemort to elaborate.

"The images are dark and hazy. I cannot make them out, except they seem to be of a female nature. Of late, I see various doors, which seem to be Hogwarts broom closets."

Snape stared at the floor, stroking his jaw with his thumb and forefinger. "It would seem that Potter has sunk to a new low," he sneered. "I suspect Potter has let his hormones get the best of him and is indulging in daydreams and nighttime fantasies. You do not see him working to improve himself? No pathetic attempt at learning to duel properly? No? He has abandoned all pretense then, and given in to his baser instincts. Your mental connection, as you know, works both ways, but Potter has never realized the implications. I assure you the images Potter is broadcasting are inconsequential, although I can understand they would be annoyingly troublesome."

"My Occlumency skills are unsurpassed. Teenage hormones alone would not breach my defenses."

"I cannot pretend to fathom this unique link you created, my lord," Snape said. "Perhaps as you devote more time to plotting his drawn-out and painful death, focusing your mind on him allows him entrance occasionally. Hogwarts provided a shield of sorts. With Dumbledore gone, the shields are weaker, as may be the wards at his relations' home. It would be laughable to think he is gaining power or honing abilities. He is arrogant and singularly uninspired."

"What of the prophecy, then?" Voldemort snapped.

"Perhaps by killing the boy's parents, you already altered destiny and voided the prophecy. Rather than being raised in the wizarding home he was born to, he was raised by Muggles. They locked the boy in a closet for the decade he spent with them. That seems to have been a rather effective way of blocking any magical potential from developing. Perhaps the curse you used on him as an infant scrambled his brains."

"That curse should have killed him." Voldemort snarled.

"And it would have, were it not for his mother," Snape said smoothly. "Perhaps if the boy had been raised by his mother, who _did _possess a modicum of talent, he may have become a more interesting adversary for you. As it is…" Snape shrugged elegantly. "There will be little challenge for you to defeat him, if you choose. The boy is overly emotional and highly predictable. I believe young Malfoy could kill him for you, if you were inclined to avoid the onerous task yourself. It would be good practice for him."

"No," Voldemort hissed. "He is mine. I have plans for his death."

"Yes, my lord. I will research mental bonds. It may require his death to halt the visions."

"No matter. He will be eliminated soon enough. Now, for our next _Order _of business." Voldemort's red eyes gleamed. "There is a large gathering in the form of a blood-traitor wedding to plan for, as well as the next full moon…"

* * *

Tonks led a training session in the War Room for Neville, Luna, Harry and Ginny while waiting for the others to join them. Neville and Luna, while no match for Ginny and Harry, performed quite well in their practice duels. Harry was proud of how much they'd learned in the D.A. Luna had even bested Tonks once, hitting her with an obscure hex that Tonks didn't know how to counter. 

Harry wondered over the personality change he saw in Luna. Many times he saw a new side of her that was remarkably lucid. Following her notably efficient take-down of Tonks, Harry had to ask. "Luna, you seem different, somehow…" He looked puzzled, adding hastily, "Not that you weren't always good, but you seem more, uh, competent and capable or something."

Luna looked at Ginny and smiled. "Well, you did warn me he was slow on the uptake."

As Luna turned to face him directly, Harry watched her dreamily vacant expression change to cunning. He warily took a step back. "Ginny," he demanded, wand drawn. "Are we sure this is the right Luna?"

Luna laughed as though she had pulled an excellent prank. "Harry, it _is _me, I assure you. What do you know about blondes?"

Harry blinked, bewildered. "Blondes?" Yes, this was more familiar, this feeling of Luna-induced befuddlement.

"Blondes," she prompted. "As in the hair color."

"Erm, nothing, I suspect." Harry looked to Ginny and Tonks for help. They smirked at him. Neville just shrugged helplessly.

"You haven't heard that blondes have more fun?" Luna quizzed. "Or that blondes aren't very bright?"

He flushed crimson and shifted his feet. "Oh, er, yeah, I guess, but I didn't think that was real."

"No, Harry, it's not. It's a common stereotype." Luna smiled. "Yet you know I was sorted into Ravenclaw. How is such a thing possible?"

"Because you let people believe it?" he guessed.

"I encourage it," Luna corrected. "There is an enormous advantage to having people constantly underestimate you. Yes, I do have many off-the-wall theories and esoteric ideas, but they all play into the illusion. Believing in the possibility and existence of things I cannot see does not necessarily make me crazy."

Harry blinked at her.

"Oh, I don't claim to be as conventionally intelligent as Hermione, or as clever as Ginny." The blonde girl tipped her head respectfully at her classmate. "But I can hold my own."

Harry just shook his head in amazement. Sirius' book had not nearly tapped into the depths of deception girls could reach. He shrugged. "Okay, Miss Ravenclaw, why don't you prove your abilities by finding a way to silence Mrs. Black's portrait."

"Oh, I've heard about her. I thought perhaps you kept her around for atmosphere," Luna said whimsically. "Is that all? Do you want me to take care of that right now, or wait until we get back after visiting the Chamber?"

It had become a rite of passage for every new Order member to take a crack at removing the insufferable woman's visage from the wall. "I'll get the roster so Neville and Luna can sign up after they've had a crack at Walburga," Tonks suggested when they'd arrived in front of the portrait. "Don't try to dissolve the wall the painting is on, it's a main support wall. We don't want the house crumbling down around us. Especially since they'd probably blame it on me." She winked as she turned away, pink curls bouncing around her shoulders.

Luna examined the portrait carefully without disturbing the curtains or waking up the vociferous witch beneath. When Tonks returned, Neville and Luna quickly signed, and then turned back to the portrait.

"Would you like to try first, Neville?" Luna asked politely.

Neville's neck and ears turned pink, but he approached the painting. He wedged his fingers behind the frame and pulled. He murmured an incantation and tapped it with his wand, to no avail. He turned and shrugged. "I've never been great at household spells. What's wrong with this painting anyway?"

"She has been awfully quiet lately," Ginny said suspiciously. "You don't suppose she can visit other portraits?" Harry shot her an alarmed look and grasped the curtains, tearing them open.

The view that greeted them shocked them all into silence.

"That's Stubby Boardman's mother?" Luna asked curiously.

"No wonder she's been so quiet the last couple days." Ginny sniggered.

Neville tilted his head. "She looks like Hermione did when Malfoy hit her in the mouth with that, um..." He pantomimed long teeth with his fingers in front of his lips.

"Damn, how did I never notice she was so ugly?" Tonks gazed in stunned amazement. "Was it because she was screaming all the time?"

Harry finally broke down laughing. "_Sirius would have loved this_," he thought, tears of mirth leaking from the corners of his eyes.

Ginny glanced at Harry with a raised eyebrow and turned to the others, grinning. "I guess the credit for silencing the painting has to go to Ron. He missed me with the Densaugeo hex and hit Mrs. Black. Who knew it would work on a painting."

Mrs. Black sat, silently glaring daggers at them, her mouth hidden with a handkerchief. Two beaver-like incisors were apparent at the bottom of the lace-edged scrap of fabric.

"C'mon, just say 'filthy blood traitor' for me, Aunty," Tonks cajoled, sniggering.

"So the painting stays now?" Luna asked, disappointed.

"Well, go ahead and take it down if you can, but we'll have to keep her around for awhile. I'd say there are several members of the Order who would thoroughly appreciate this sight." Tonks said. "Could this day get any more perfect?"

Luna smiled vaguely at them as she slipped her slim fingers behind the painting. She closed her eyes in concentration, murmured something and with a click of her wand, the painting made a horrible squelching sound and she pulled it firmly away from the wall.

Four jaws dropped simultaneously. Luna's vague expression turned just a bit cheeky. "Just your average, everyday airhead blonde Ravenclaw trick," she said smugly, buffing her nails on her jumper.

_SLAM._

"I'm just saying, Hermione, it _could_ have been Malfoy!" Ron's voice carried up the stairs.

Hermione's exasperated tone was slightly muffled. "Ronald, why on _earth_ do you think Malfoy would _choose _to be transfigured into a ferret in order to break the wards and sneak into my house? And to steal something as useless as my cat's hairbrush?"

"Well, maybe he wants to use Polyjuice Potion to try to sneak in here as Crookshanks and murder us all in our sleep!"

Harry winced. "He's in for it now. Polyjuice and cat hair do not mix. Hermione is going to -"

"RONALD WEASLEY! Do you mean to tell me you've FORGOTTEN what happens to people who drink Polyjuice Potion that has been made with cat hair?"

"Wow, she does a good impression of Mum," Ginny observed mildly.

"Well, what if it was somebody whose Animagus form was a cat?" he argued. "Plus, Malfoy wouldn't be smart enough to know that was a cat brush. Or what if it was for a tracking charm? Didn't Hagrid mention an animal hunting and tracking charm using hair?"

Unbelievably, Hermione went silent for a moment. "No, that still wouldn't explain ferret or weasel tracks. Just because Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret once doesn't mean he had a natural inclination to be a ferret. Unless…"

"Oi, hi all." Ron had reached the landing. "Ready to visit the trophy room? We should have time for that before lunch."

"All right, Hermione?" Tonks asked, eyeing her closely.

"Oh, yes, fine, thank you," she responded, frowning slightly. "Come on, Crookshanks, you'd better come with us today," she crooned, scooping up the huge, squashed-faced feline. "Professor Lupin will be along shortly, he's unshrinking the rest of my parents' things in their suite. He said to go along without…" She stopped and stared wide-eyed at Mrs. Black's portrait on the floor. Her gaze took in the elongated teeth and then drifted up to the blank rectangle on the wall. "Who? – How? – What happened?" she gasped.

"Well, apparently Ron hit her with the Densaugeo hex he shot at me, so he officially gets credit for shutting her up," Ginny said. "Luna pulled her off the wall, though."

"Perhaps she just lost her will to stick," Luna quipped airily. "Or perhaps the Flobberworm mucus used in the sticking potion was the weakness," she shrugged. "Flobberworms are no match for Snigglediggers, after all."

Hermione gave Luna a measuring look.

Lupin joined them then and they went to Hogwarts through the cabinet without another word. 

The group headed up to the trophy room. Ron pointed out Riddle's trophy and Harry picked it up carefully. Nothing. He felt nothing. No magical tingle at all. He sighed, "Well, that would have just been too easy."

"What do you feel when you hold the one Dobby made?" Ron asked, handing it to him.

Harry frowned. "Nothing…I should be able to sense some kind of magic, shouldn't I? It's a magically Transfigured cup, containing a Dark artifact full of magic."

"Where is Dobby?" Ginny wondered aloud.

_CRACK._

"Welcome, sirs and misses! Dobby is happy to see you again so soon! Will sirs and misses be staying for lunch?"

"Actually, Dobby, we have a question for you," Harry spoke up, reluctantly. "Do you know if there's anything inside this trophy, like the one you made last night? I can't feel any magic in either of them."

Dobby took Riddle's trophy. "No Harry Potter sir, you would not feel it. T'is elf made. Special elf magic," he said, as if that explained it. His little brow furrowed in concentration, levitating the trophy and swirling his long-fingered hands around it. Suddenly the top cracked, issuing forth a hiss of green smoke. Hermione gasped. Dobby reached inside and pulled out a brooch.

Dobby set the brooch on the floor and re-sealed the trophy, carefully placing it back on the shelf. He then opened the trophy he had created the previous night, retrieving the locket. He placed the locket next to the brooch and covered each with one hand, closing his eyes, soon looking as if he'd swallowed copious amounts of the twins' U-No-Poo products. Finally, he lifted his hands.

"Are you all right, Dobby?" Hermione asked anxiously, dropping Crookshanks to the floor.

"Could you see the rest of the soul pieces?" Ginny chimed.

Dobby looked confused. He put both hands on the brooch. "Ah, Dobby sees Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Something moving."

"Is it Nagini? Is she in the school?" Harry demanded urgently.

"No, Harry Potter, sir." Dobby was perplexed. "Not a snake. Not alive, but moving."

Hermione leaned over to look closely at the brooch, careful not to touch it. "Could this be Moaning Myrtle's brooch?" Hermione wondered. "It's the Hogwarts crest, but it's tarnished and old. If it's connected to something that's not living moving in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and we know Riddle took souvenirs from his victims... It makes sense. But if Dobby sees Myrtle rather than soul bits, is this a Horcrux? Or just something Riddle stole?"

Harry grimly stepped forward and took the brooch, holding it gingerly in his hand. Ginny flinched, but did not attempt to stop him. His eyes closed, and he frowned in concentration. "It has magic in it, but it's… odd. If it's a Horcrux, it doesn't feel like the other one."

"Harry, be very careful not to prick your finger with it," Hermione warned suddenly.

With an alarmed glance at his friend, Harry gently set the brooch back down. He shivered and took a step back. "After I put it down, I feel it urging me to pick it up again and… a weird desire to see blood. It's almost like fighting off the Imperius. I should have thought of that. Tom and his sick obsession with blood, and that thing with a sharp point on it. Probably poisoned."

"So he used Myrtle's death to make a Horcrux?" Neville asked.

"No, I don't believe he could have done that," Lupin replied. "He used the Basilisk to kill her, he didn't do it himself. Dobby, did you see any other possible locations for the other Horcruxes? One would be Voldemort himself. Another is possibly his snake, Nagini, so we could be looking for two moving Horcruxes, plus Hufflepuff's cup."

Dobby concentrated, trying to focus harder to "see" the locations of the missing soul pieces.

"I wonder if Moaning Myrtle was a Ravenclaw," Ginny pondered while waiting for Dobby's response. "Perhaps her brooch would have been the Ravenclaw connection."

"So he would have had the Gryffindor artifact in Godric's Hollow that Halloween night." Tonks chewed her lip. She shot a sidelong glance at Lupin. "I wonder if anything was found there."

"Anything there would have gone to Harry's vault, or to Lily's sister," Lupin said, giving Harry a troubled look.

"Let's go have lunch," Harry suggested. "Maybe we'll come up with something. That'll give Dobby a chance to think about the problem too." He patted the little elf, who looked on the verge of self-abuse again.

Ron groaned in relief. "Great plan, mate. I'm starving."

In the Great Hall, Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment while they were eating and drew a timeline.

"Okay, so Riddle opened the Chamber and killed Moaning Myrtle first. He took her brooch as a souvenir. Then he talked to Slughorn about Horcruxes. He decided to split his soul in seven pieces. He visited the Gaunt home, where he got the ring. He may have had his diary and this brooch with him, or in an easily accessible place. He killed the three Riddles, made his first three Horcruxes, then altered his uncle's memory to take the blame. He hid the ring in the Gaunt house. He hid the brooch in his Hogwarts trophy. After Riddle left school, he worked for Borgin & Burkes. He acquired Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup, which he made into Horcruxes and hid them, disappearing for several years. When he came back to Dumbledore, he had only two-sevenths of his soul left, and one Horcrux left to make. He and his Death Eaters were on the rise to power and he'd given his diary to Malfoy for safekeeping. Then, Snape relayed part of the prophecy to him, and he decided to make his final Horcrux. He or whoever was with him used his wand to kill Harry's parents. They assembled whatever things they needed to make his final Horcrux. He hit Harry with a killing curse, which rebounded and hit him instead."

"Why do you think someone was with him?" Ron asked.

"Obviously, someone had to pick up his wand to keep for him, since he has it back now," Hermione said. Cautiously, she looked at Harry. "We could find out who was with him. Dumbledore saved Harry's memory."

Harry felt a chill settle in his chest. "Yeah," he said dully.

"But first," Luna smiled at the air above her head. "We visit the Chamber."

* * *

Harry hissed to open the portal. Mercifully, Myrtle was absent from her usual haunt. "Brooms ready?" he asked. Holding his glowing wand aloft, he began his descent. Tonks went next, and the others followed in single file. Lupin brought up the rear to keep watch over the group. At the site of the cave-in, Tonks used her wand to shift enough rocks to allow them to go through. They continued down the passageway. 

"Open," Harry hissed again, and the group emerged in the Chamber. Harry stayed close to Ginny. She gripped his hand tightly, but otherwise displayed no sign of distress. Determination was the only expression on her face.

They searched in pairs, but found nothing significant, except for a few old books Hermione discovered. She shrunk them and pocketed them for later. Harry motioned to Tonks and Lupin. "Tonks, would you go with Ginny for a bit while Professor Lupin and I collect the fangs of the basilisk?"

Tonks looked revolted. "What do you want parts of that disgusting thing for?"

"Well, if the venom destroyed one Horcrux, we might need it for the others as well," Harry said tersely. "Ginny, don't give me that look. You're not missing out on anything fun, trust me." He winked and projected a vision of Voldemort's naked backside in the prefects' bathroom.

* * *

Elsewhere, Voldemort rubbed his temple and winced.

* * *

Lupin enlarged the unbreakable glass phial Harry had brought to use as a receptacle for the fangs.

"Oh bollocks," Harry gasped. "I forgot all about the Wolfsbane potion."

"What…? Oh, that," Lupin grimaced. "Hermione brewed it up yesterday, so I'm right on track with it. She made a double batch so Bill would have some as well. He doesn't really need it, as he doesn't transform, but with the stress of the wedding the day before full moon, Mrs. Weasley and Fleur decided it wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Why on earth did they plan a wedding so close to the full moon?" Harry shook his head.

"The date was chosen before his attack," Lupin explained. "I imagine Fleur thought the moon would be romantic, but Bill insisted it not be the same night as a full moon. I suspect it was in hopes I would be a rather better behaved guest." Lupin smiled a bit hollowly.

"Are you not a big fan of weddings?" Harry asked, dropping one fang in the jar and starting to work on another.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Uh, just that Tonks, er…well, why don't you just get married?" Harry queried, flushing.

"Honestly, Harry, I don't think it's even legal," Lupin said. "Werewolves aren't allowed basic rights under Umbridge's new legislation. It would look suspicious if Tonks or I requested the information to even check."

Harry growled under his breath, cursing Umbridge's name. Then he frowned. "Why don't you just do it the Muggle way? Tonks' dad is Muggleborn, why not get married in that church she mentioned. Muggle marriages are legal in the wizarding world, aren't they? Hermione would probably know."

Lupin looked thoughtful. He smiled at Harry then, mischief twinkling in his eyes. "Fair point, Harry. I'll put some thought into that. Though the shock of a proposal would probably turn her hair striped again. She hates that."

Harry sniggered. "Then you can have little Metawolfmacubs."

"Excuse me?" Lupin's eyebrows nearly met his hairline.

"Well, she's a Metamorphmagus, and you're…"

"A werewolf," Lupin finished for him. "Meta-wolf-ma-cubs, I see." He looked faintly disturbed.

"Haven't you ever wondered what your kids would look like?" Harry asked curiously.

Lupin smiled. "No, I can't say I have ever considered what kind of biological mischief could be achieved by mixing werewolf and Metamorphmagus genetics. Though now you've brought it to my attention..." His voice trailed off as his brows met in a slightly worried frown.

"Would you have kids with a war on?" Harry suddenly blurted. "What were my parents thinking, having a kid with Voldemort on the loose…. Was I an accident? I don't know anything about them. Were they careless?"

"Harry, your dad was an Auror. He was a good one, too. He'd always hated the Dark Arts, and his only ambition was to make the world safe. Especially once they learned you were on the way. Your mother was an Unspeakable for the Ministry. She worked in the room you tried to enter, the one that is always locked. She studied love, and I believe she was on the verge of a huge breakthrough.

"You were very much wanted, Harry. Whether you were planned or not, I don't know, your dad didn't really discuss that sort of thing with us. Knowing your mum, I would guess that you were. She was a bit like Hermione in some ways," he smiled, remembering. "Yes, they were scared, but they always said that a child is hope, and without hope, evil wins."

Harry's lips quirked. "I can't see Hermione slipping up on anything like that. I guess, I just wondered. I mean, bad enough they had to die for me, but if they hadn't even wanted…"

"Don't even think that," Lupin said warningly. "Planned or not, you were wanted and very, very loved. Enough for several years' worth, as it seems."

"You're right, it doesn't matter," Harry mumbled. "Sorry, I've just been thinking about things. The Dursleys wouldn't answer questions, and I guess I never lost the habit of being afraid to ask." Harry took a fortifying breath. "Was there anything between my mother and Snape?"

Lupin carefully raised an eyebrow. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"Professor Slughorn said they were friends and they worked together in Advanced Potions."

"Well, that is true, they did work together. I'm not sure you could say they were friends, but Snape did enjoy tormenting your father. This was in our sixth year, you understand, before your parents started dating. Poor James, he was beside himself. He kept quoting something out of a book Sirius had. 'The girl you want the most will end up with the idiot you hate the most.' In the end, though, Lily's choice was clear."

"So there was nothing between them," Harry persisted.

"No," Lupin smiled. "She was a good friend of mine, even before Snape or James. We were prefects together, you see, beginning fifth year. I think she would have told me. She was a very self-contained person. She didn't gossip and she was a firm believer in respecting privacy. Especially her own. She was very popular, because she was genuinely nice and cared about others. A bit like yourself, probably. She was honest and straightforward, and very easy to like."

He paused, as if weighing his next words. "I suspected Snape may have harbored more than friendly feelings for her, but he was a Slytherin and she was a Muggleborn. There was nothing he could do--other than annoy James with innuendos--without jeopardizing his position in his own house."

"Well, if Snape had feelings for my mum, I suppose that's why Dumbledore believed he was truly remorseful enough to stop being a Death Eater."

Suddenly, Harry's eyes flashed with hatred and disgust. "That's why Voldemort said she didn't have to die. He told her to move aside. As if he was saving her for a purpose; to give to someone else. He only killed her when she refused." He felt sick. "Poor Mum, I'd rather die than become Snape's toy, too."


	15. Rings n Things

Disclaimer: By now you know I'm definitely not JKR.

_**Rings n Things  
**_

Mad-eye Moody was waiting for them when they returned from Hogwarts.

"Hello Professor Moody," Hermione said politely.

Moody sighed and grumbled, "Spent a year locked in a trunk and they still call me Professor." He thumped his cane on the floor and pointed his wand at Ron and Neville. "Wands out of your back pockets, boys!" he barked, gesturing for Lupin and Tonks to go into the library with him, keeping his wary magical eye on the teens as they went down to the kitchen.

"What's for supper?" Ron asked, looking for something to sample. Hermione handed him a carrot from the salad she started preparing. He made a face, but crunched into it anyway. 

"Bangers and mash, and a salad," Ginny replied. "Where did Harry go?"

"Shower, I think," Ron said. "Didn't want to take chances after messing with basilisk venom today. He'll be down shortly, I'm sure. And you stay here where I can see you." He pointed the carrot stick at his sister.

Ginny stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to the lettuce.

* * *

"Dobby?" Harry called. 

_CRACK_.

"Yes, Harry Potter sir!

"Were you here this afternoon?" Harry asked. He had noticed his room had been cleaned and laundry done, and hoped it wasn't Mrs. Weasley's doing.

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby looked uncertain. "Dobby cleaned and brought some groceries. Dobby wanted to help…"

"Thank you, Dobby, yes, I'm very happy to have you help," Harry reassured him. "Did you have enough Galleons for groceries?" he asked.

"Yes Harry Potter, sir, but it would be easier if you set up an account with the grocer," Dobby suggested. "The grocer can set it up with Gringotts. Then yous would not need worry."

"Good idea, I'll do that, thanks," Harry said. He grabbed a spare piece of parchment and a quill and scribbled a note with his signature. He handed it to Dobby. "This should work. You can take it with you next time you go."

Glancing around his and Ron's recently cleaned room and freshly laundered clothes, Harry had an idea.

"Dobby, is Winky still unhappy at Hogwarts?"

Dobby's entire countenance drooped, "Yes, tis very sad. Winky is drinking too much butterbeer still." He shook his head disparagingly.

"Would she be any happier here?" Harry questioned. "Maybe she'd like a house of her own. Of course my first choice for a house-elf would always be you, but it seems like a good idea to have you at Hogwarts for now, keeping an eye on things there, and this place needs someone here all the time."

"Oh great and wonderful Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby nearly wept with joy. "You be making Dobby's dreams come true! Winky is needing a home of her own and a master to care for."

"So how do I go about adopting Winky?" Harry asked, trying not to think about Hermione's reaction when she found out.

"Well, house-elves is bought by a new master, but Winky's old master is dead. She lives at Hogwarts, but she does not feel she belongs because Hogwarts did not pay her old master."

"How about we bring her here and see what she thinks," Harry suggested.

"Yes, Harry Potter sir! I will get her!"

With two sharp cracks in short succession, Dobby and Winky were standing in front of him. Poor Winky looked terrible. Her eyes were bloodshot and her ears drooped sadly. Her tiny dress was filthy and torn.

"Dobby says Mister Potter would speak to Winky," she slurred, swaying slightly.

"Yes Winky." Harry said. "I would like to buy you – properly – from your old masters."

"But they gave Winky clothes." Her lower lip trembled in sadness and shame. "And they is all gone." She hiccupped sorrowfully.

Harry patted her head gingerly. "Your master is not technically dead," he said. "He was kissed by a dementor, but I believe he is in St. Mungo's long-term care ward."

Harry supposed Crouch could be in Azkaban as well, but he rather wanted Winky to believe he was in hospital instead.

He looked questioningly at Dobby. "How much do house-elves cost?" he asked, pulling his money pouch from his trunk.

"One Sickle is enough, sir, any exchange of money is enough to change the bond," Dobby explained.

Harry frowned and dumped the contents of the pouch on the bed. He counted out a hundred Galleons. He scribbled a quick note, which he tied to the outside of another small pouch after putting the Galleons inside. He reached for an owl treat for Hedwig and handed it to her, stroking her affectionately. When she finished, she held her leg out for Harry to fasten the bag. "St. Mungo's long-term care ward, please, Hedwig." He opened the window and watched her fly away.

Dobby asked, "Why did you put so many Galleons in the bag? Dobby told you one Sickle was enough."

"I know Dobby, but I didn't want a one-Sickle house-elf," Harry said. "I wanted a hundred-Galleon house-elf."

Winky's entire demeanor changed. "Oh Harry Potter sir, Dobby is right. You is the most nicest, best wizard anywhere, and Winky will be loyal and work hard and keep all of Master's secrets." Her eyes shone. Harry patted her head awkwardly as she hugged his leg.

"Just one thing, Winky. If Hermione, or anyone else asks if you're a free elf, just tell them you are. After all, you are free to do whatever you choose here. If you choose to cook, or clean, or go to the shops, or visit Dobby at Hogwarts, or invite Dobby here, you are free to make those kinds of decisions. You know more about running a house than I do, Winky, so it would be best if you just give yourself orders. Can you do that for me?"

The little elf nodded, her eyes huge.

Harry excused himself from the room for a moment, then came back with two small hand towels in Gryffindor colors.

"I know clothes are out of the question, but I need to give you something of mine and Ginny's, right? Will these work?"

The little elf squeaked with happiness. "A new master, a new mistress and a new house to work in! Winky is so happy Master Potter sir! When can Winky meet Mistress Potter?

"Er, please call me Harry…"

"Oh yes, Master Harry, sir!"

"And you'd better call Ginny, 'Miss,' okay?"

"Miss Ginny, yes Master Harry!" The little elf bobbed her head so fast Harry was afraid she'd snap her neck.

"Thanks," Harry smiled, relieved. At least she was happy now, and Dobby would be a good spy at Hogwarts. And he'd made a sizable donation to the hospital. _Good deeds done for the day,_ he thought in satisfaction.

He headed downstairs for the kitchen, meeting Lupin, Tonks and Moody emerging from the library. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had also come downstairs and were setting the dining room table. Ron and Neville brought out the heavy serving dishes, while the girls carried the salad and pitchers of pumpkin juice.

"Harry, _Harry_. Can you hear me?" Hermione looked impatient. Apparently she'd been trying to get his attention for awhile.

"Uh, yes, Hermione? Sorry, I zoned out there…"

"Obviously. I was saying that since my parents are moved in a day early, we have tomorrow afternoon open on our schedule. Do you want to go to Godric's Hollow?"

"Er, actually, Lupin is going to take me." Harry looked at his friends apologetically. "He and I are the only ones who would be able to see it, as it's still under the Fidelius Charm. We'll see if Professor Flitwick can join us there to recast the spell, and then you can all come."

Ginny's narrowed eyes sought his, and as soon as he felt her intrusion, he projected the memory he had of Snape lifting the hem of his robes for Filch. The real memory was Filch treating Snape's leg after being bitten by Hagrid's three-headed dog, but for Ginny, Harry spiced things up a bit. He imagined a "come hither" look in Snape's eyes and made a few other adjustments…

"Merlin Harry!" Ginny laughed, "Cut that out! That's disgusting!"

As everyone turned to look at Harry, they all got the same broadcasted image.

"Eww, sick!" - "Harry, yuck!" - "Mate, you are one twisted …"

"Sorry!" Harry sniggered, stopping the projection. "Ginny keeps trying to break into my mind, so I have been doing what you do to boggarts, you know, make a disturbing image funny."

Moody frowned, which scrunched his scarred face and made his magical eye seem more prominent. "How long have you been able to project like that, Potter?"

"A few weeks I guess." Harry shrugged. "It's the only way I can repel Legilimency. I used to just use happy thoughts, like for a Patronus, but then I started trying to create false images, because I don't know if I could come up with many happy thoughts facing Voldemort."

"It's one thing to concentrate on a false image to block mental invasion, but another thing entirely to project it to an entire room," Moody snapped.

"Sorry, sir, I'm not very good at controlling it yet," Harry said, abashed.

"I will be training you tomorrow," Moody said abruptly as he stood to leave. "Be up early."

* * *

Ron groaned and slung his lanky body sideways across an armchair in the library after supper. Hermione glanced up from her book and smiled. Neville had built a small greenhouse in Mrs. Black's room, and had gone up to tend his plants. Ginny and Luna were having a tutoring session with Tonks, trying to cram enough to start NEWT classes with the others in September. Harry was talking to Lupin. 

"D'you think this wedding thing is the brightest idea?" Ron mused, massaging his right temple with his long fingers. "Why do I get the feeling that 'Burrow' and 'bullseye' sound entirely too much alike for my peace of mind?"

"I know," Hermione answered in a low, concerned voice. "I'm sure they're taking every precaution they can think of, but…what an irresistible target. People from the Order, Gringotts, the Ministry, Aurors, Hogwarts…Harry…Almost everyone Voldemort wants to kill will be in one place. It'd be a bloodbath if Voldemort showed up with his Death Eaters, dementors, Dark creatures… There would be heavy losses on both sides, but what a horrible memory for what should be a wonderful day for them."

"I don't suppose you'd want to stay here with your parents instead of coming…"

Hermione glared her answer. "There just has to be a solution. They can't let Voldemort dictate their lives, either. That just means he wins."

"What if they'd move the wedding to Hogwarts?" Ron pondered.

"It's too late to change that, isn't it? They are responsible adults, I'm sure they're not just going to let everyone get picked off like sitting ducks."

"Thing is, even responsible adults have never done a stellar job of protecting anyone from V-Voldemort." Ron grimaced.

Hermione rose and crawled into Ron's lap, curling her arms around his neck.

* * *

Two small jewelry boxes from Harry's vault were on Lupin's desk. Harry tried to convince Lupin to keep them. 

"No, Harry. Sirius and I had this discussion when he wrote his will. I told him to leave everything to you. The contents of his vault were transferred to yours. End of story." Lupin refused to even look at the contents of the boxes.

"Fine," Harry shrugged. "I'll give them to Tonks. Maybe her mum wants them. I just thought you might want to take a peek first, see if there isn't a pretty little ring a certain someone might appreciate…" Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Lupin snorted. "What kind of conspiracy is this? I don't need a teenager giving me relationship advice, nor do I need one providing jewelry!"

Harry arched an eyebrow. "I'm not providing anything. This is from Sirius. I think he'd have found it appropriate. We were just going to use them for Portkeys, but it sounds like the twins have that angle well covered. You know, when this whole mess is over, I think you should sign on with the twins as a consultant. I know they're good, but with a senior Marauder on the staff, think of the mayhem and madness they could make. Plus I know they need help with the business end of things. Managing the books and whatnot."

"Did they ask you to talk to me about this?" he asked.

"Well, not specifically, but since I'm sort of their main investor, I believe I'm allowed to make some recommendations, and it would be a perfect solution for you and them. You would be a partner, not an employee. I doubt you'd have to work the counter unless you wanted to. I know their dress code is, erm, sort of _brighter_ than your usual style…" Harry grinned suddenly, eyes lighting up mischievously. "But I bet Tonks would love it! She could match her hair to your work robes."

Chuckling, Lupin reached over and ruffled Harry's already mussed hair. "That really does sound like a wonderful business opportunity, Harry. Thank you for thinking of me. It's good to think about life after Voldemort."

Harry absently opened the boxes and started shifting through the contents. "You could at least help look through this stuff and see if anything is cursed."

Lupin nodded and carefully lifted several pieces out, commenting on the various stones. "Here's an opal, Harry." He held up a ring with an iridescent stone. He tilted it in the light, and it shone with all the changing colors of the rainbow. "Opals are believed to have healing powers. They are also reported to solve depressions and to help their wearer find true and real love. An opal must be worn as often as possible, to absorb humidity from the air and from the skin of its wearer."

"Tonks would like that," Harry said. "It suits her." He went back to perusing the contents of his box, only to look up in alarm when Lupin gasped.

"I thought this had been lost," he whispered, cradling a pendant containing a shimmering bluish stone.

Harry craned his neck for a better look. "Pretty. What is it?"

"Moonstone." Lupin smiled softly. "It was my mother's. It's supposed to bring sweet and beautiful dreams. It's also reputed to bring forth feelings of tenderness and to protect true love. My dad gave it to my mum when I started at Hogwarts. He hoped it would reassure her. Legend says the stone changes shades with the phases of the moon."

"I'm glad you found it, but why did Sirius have it if it was your mother's?" Harry asked.

"I've no idea," Lupin said, puzzled. "I imagine it got lost in the shuffle of one of our many moves. I may have left it with him for safekeeping and forgot."

Most of the old jewelry Harry thought was too large and cumbersome to be attractive. But then he found a little gold ring with a brilliant red stone in the center and smaller green ones forming a circle around it.

"I like this one." He held it up for Lupin's inspection.

Lupin looked stunned. "That was your mother's," he said, frowning. "She thought she'd lost it. She was devastated. Your dad gave it to her when you were born. I helped him pick it out." Lupin moved closer to take the ring.

"You see, the main stone is a ruby, which is July's birthstone, and the little ones are peridots, for August. You were due the end of July, but as due dates aren't an exact science, your dad wanted to have both months covered." Lupin smiled, handing it back to Harry. "The ring really just reminded him of your mum. The red for her hair and green for her eyes. He wanted emeralds for the green, but settled for the greenest peridots they could find," Lupin recalled fondly. "Only a gold band to go with the red, of course. Gryffindor colors."

"How did she lose it?" Harry was suspicious. Finding a lost necklace was coincidence. Finding two lost pieces from two separate people was not.

"She only ever took it off when she gave you your bath. She set it near the sink, so she thought it must have fallen down the drain. They tried everything to retrieve it. I have no idea how it could have ended up in Sirius' vault," Lupin frowned and shook his head. "Perhaps Sirius found it at the house after Voldemort…" he trailed off. "Well, I'm sure there's some explanation, but I know your mother would be delighted that you found it."

Harry was still looking at the little ring. He rubbed his thumb over the gleaming stones. "What is special about rubies and peridots?"

"Ah, that was very appropriate also. Rubies symbolize love and vividness, passion and power, warmth and a strong sense of life. Two magical elements are associated with them as well: fire and blood, implying warmth and life. The green symbolizes healing, good luck and well-being. Green is the colour of life and the recurrence of springtime. It is the colour of beauty and constant love. It conveys harmony and love of nature."

"No wonder dad asked you to help him pick it out." Harry added the ring to the chain around his neck. "I never knew stones and colours meant anything."

"It was a hobby of mine for awhile."

"Picking out jewelry for women?" Harry smirked cheekily.

"Actually, yes," Lupin said archly. "I always had an interest in the magical properties of stones. I worked with a gem cutter for a time and often helped out in his shop. Precious stones are more so when you know the stories behind them."

"Well, it's more interesting than Divination." Harry grinned.

"Here, look," Lupin said. "Your dad's and Sirius' pocket watches." He handed one to Harry. "See, when you open it, there is a two-way mirror. They used them to talk to each other when they had separate detentions. They had bigger mirrors they used as well, but these were easier to carry around. I still have mine. We never did get around to making one for Peter." He snapped the watch closed. "Not as fancy as the ones Hermione made, but perhaps you could give this one to Ron and you two can find some mischief." He smiled, handing the second gold watch to Harry, who pocketed them both with a shrug.

"We don't go looking for mischief, you know," Harry said. "It just finds us."

* * *

"Uncut, Moonstones look quite boring and make it difficult to discern their attractiveness," Lupin told Tonks. "However, once cut, incoming rays of light are refracted inside the stone and scattered, creating _'adularescence_.'" 

"Reminds me of you," Tonks smiled, reaching out to stroke the stone with a delicate finger. "Unassumingly gorgeous." She took the pendant from him and carefully set it on his desk. Her hands slid up over his shoulders and into his hair as she reached up to meet his lips with her own. A small opal glistened on the fourth finger of her left hand.

She had been touched when Remus explained that Harry thought she and her mother should go through the jewels. "It was nice of Harry to think of my mum. She was cut off from all the Black heirlooms when she married my dad. This will make her happy. She'll probably recognize something from her grandmum that'll bring her to tears."

Remus had held out the opal ring he'd discovered. "This reminded me of you. Look, if you tilt it like this...you can see about a hundred shades of pink."

"It's beautiful," she'd squealed, slipping it on her finger. It was a perfect fit, without needing any magical adjustment. That's when he'd shown her his mother's necklace.

"Nymphadora," Remus said tenderly, pulling away from her for a moment. "I want you to have that." He picked up the necklace again, and slipped it around her neck, fastening it securely.

She bit her lip worriedly. "What if I break it or lose it?"

Lupin tapped the necklace with his wand. "There. Unbreakable."

"Ha," she snorted. "Like that'll stop _me_." She glanced at her watch. "Hey, it's only 9:30. Let's pop over to see my parents. I want to ask mum about this ring, and take her the rest of the stuff."

Lupin smiled. "You go ahead. I forgot to ask Harry about something." She shrugged, picked up the boxes and blew him a kiss as she headed out the door.

After she'd gone, he rummaged in his desk until he found his old pocket watch. He clicked it open and spoke into the mirror. "Prongs." After a few moments, he saw Harry's wary face appear.

"Oh, it's you." Harry grinned. "You found yours then?"

"Yes, and it still works. A good bit of magic, if I do say so myself. Do you have a moment? I've been meaning to talk to you about something, and I got sidetracked while we were looking at the jewelry."

Harry's eyes widened with apprehension. "Wasn't that discussion at the Dursley's enough?" He shuddered slightly.

"No, it's not about that," Lupin chuckled. "Would you mind gracing me with your presence yet again this evening?"

"No problem."

Lupin was waiting at his desk with parchment and quill when Harry entered.

"Hi again," Harry said. "What's up?"

"Well, Arthur told me you wanted Bill to help you with this, but I think he's probably a bit busy with wedding plans right now. I offered to help in his place. He sent over the inventory lists of your vaults earlier, while we were at Hogwarts."

Harry and Lupin went through the list together, Lupin taking notes on the parchment.

"So tomorrow…Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked hesitantly after he signed his name to the document. 

"Yes," Lupin nodded. "As soon as you've finished training with Moody. Do you need to make any other stops? Diagon Alley, perhaps? We can drop your paperwork off at Gringotts."

"Maybe at Gringotts you can look in Mum's trunk in their vault," Harry mused. "Griphook let us look last time, but said I couldn't take anything out until my birthday."

"That sounds like a good idea. Then when we get back, we will have two solid days of training and tutoring. Things will be haphazard for the rest of the week because of the wedding and full moon coming up."

"I should get to bed then. Goodnight Professor," 

"Goodnight, Harry."

Ginny had been waiting for him, but ended up falling asleep on his bed. He watched her idly for awhile. Suddenly he grinned to himself and snatched up his Invisibility Cloak. He met Tonks in the hall and quickly enticed her into accompanying him on an errand of mischief.

"Oh, Harry," she whispered as they slipped outside. "Thank you so much for the Black jewelry. My mum was so happy. A lot of the pieces were her grandmum's. This ring was from some ancient aunt, who was also a Metamorphmagus!" She flashed her ring.

Harry shrugged. "No problem. Always glad to return things to their rightful owners."

They walked quietly to the park, where they Disapparated.

With two sharp pops, they reappeared on Privet Drive. Under Harry's cloak, they slipped to the Dursleys' front door. Tonks clicked it with her wand and the door swung open silently. Inside, the house was nearly empty, with boxes stacked everywhere.

"At least they're taking Lupin's advice and moving," Harry said. He triumphantly scooped up a small triangular piece of wood and pocketed it. He checked the other doors and found two more.

Tonks arched an eyebrow. "That's it? This is your idea of causing mayhem? Stealing their door wedges? Oh come on now, surely you can do better than that." She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned in mock displeasure.

"You know, honestly, they aren't even worth the effort." Harry said. "I have a use for these, otherwise I wouldn't bother. It'll drive Aunt Petunia nuts though." He watched Tonks wander about the kitchen, poking her head in various boxes.

"You disappoint me, really, Harry," Tonks whispered, shaking her head. "I'll just leave these Canary Creams in this box here as a gift. I'm sure they'll find them when they unpack in their new home."

Harry chuckled quietly. Under his cloak once more, they relocked the door and made their way uneventfully back to Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Harry threw a door wedge at Hermione's door. It ricocheted off without touching it. "Imperterbed, eh? I see how you are, Ron." He smiled slyly to himself, retrieving the wedge. "Driving your sister out of her room and into mine. I shouldn't be held responsible for what happens. It seems to be a conspiracy." He turned and walked into his room, Imperturbing his door as well. He wondered where to hide his newly acquired door wedges so Ginny wouldn't find them. He finally Disillusioned them and tucked them behind the clock on the shelf. He stripped to his boxers and levitated Ginny so he could pull down the coverlet. He tucked her in and wrapped himself around her. 

Ginny… she looked so sweet and vulnerable, curled in a ball in the center of his bed. The monster in his chest snarled possessively. She lay on her right side, her back to him. He took his mother's ring between his thumb and forefinger, and reaching for Ginny's hand, he slipped it on her ring finger. "Gin?" he whispered.

"Mmmpf."

He struggled for words, even though she wasn't awake to hear. "When this mess is all over, I want to be with you. Forever." He enfolded her hand in his and tucked her head under his chin. Within moments, he was asleep. He never noticed the faint pink glow that surrounded them.


	16. Training and Travels

Disclaimer: JKR's, not mine.

_**Training and Travels**_

Harry awoke to the blaring alarms. He stumbled from the bed, wand in hand as if under attack. It took him a moment to read the message on his watch.

"Ugh, Hermy needs to fix the volume on these stupid things," Ginny grumbled grouchily. She punched in a return message when she noticed her finger. She looked at Harry, who had donned a dressing gown before reaching for something on the shelf.

"Harry, love, what exactly did I sleep through last night?" Ginny queried.

"You don't even remember?"

"If I did, would I be asking?"

"I can't believe you don't remember." He shook his head in mock sadness.

He sent and received a message on his watch, smirked, and tucked his wand in his pocket, scooping up his training clothes on his way out. In the loo, he tapped the door wedge with his wand, practicing his non-verbal magic skills. He watched it glow, then shoved it under the door.

He showered quickly and dressed. He was throwing his laundry in the hamper when he heard "HARRY JAMES POTTER!" echo up from the kitchen.

"That sounded ominous," he sighed. His mirror chuckled.

Down in the kitchen, Harry encountered a vision of fury. Hermione's anger radiated in waves. Even her hair seemed to sizzle.

"Good morning, Hermione," he said innocently.

"What is the meaning of this?" she snarled, inclining her head to indicate the house-elf in the corner, serenely cooking breakfast.

"Hermione, you know Winky, don't you?" Harry asked, pretending to be confused.

"Yes, thank you, we've met," she snapped. "Now, tell me why you paid her master a hundred Galleons for her to come here to work for you?" Harry wondered if her hair could crackle.

_"Now here's a real question,"_ he thought. _"If electrical fields are affected by magic, what about static electricity?_ _If I touched her arm, would she set off a spark that'd burn down the house?_"

Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. Harry blinked. "Oh, er, yes, well..." He almost reached to take her elbow to guide her from the room, but thought better of it and just beckoned her to follow him instead.

"I paid a hundred Galleons for her happiness and self-esteem," he said, when he turned to face her in the hallway. "If anything, I bought her freedom."

Hermione glared at him suspiciously. "How did you pay her _master_?"

Harry glanced back at the kitchen door, then moved Hermione farther away from it before describing his donation to St. Mungo's.

"So you lied to her as well?"

"Hermione, did you ever take a good look at her at Hogwarts?" Harry scowled. "I mean a really good look? Did you notice how miserable she was? All she wanted was a family and a home of her own. Instead, she was stuck with a bunch of other little elves who thought she was crazy and dangerous and made her an outcast with a fondness for Butterbeer." He regarded her stubbornly.

"I know you meant well," Hermione said, "but you can't own a slave, Harry. It's just wrong."

"I don't own her," Harry defended himself. "She's free to do whatever she wants. She seemed to like the idea of coming here to help us out. I told her she is in charge. If she happens to love cooking and cleaning and taking care of us and the house, who am I to deprive her of that joy?"

"But you aren't paying her."

"Is anyone paying us to go after Voldemort and save the world? Some people don't require payment to help others. I don't _own_ her. I don't have a piece of paper stipulating anything. I gave her a choice and I did things according to her customs. 'When in Rome,' you know. She's deliriously happy now. Why do you want to take that from her?"

"Slavery is wrong, Harry," Hermione insisted.

"Yeah, well, there is more to the definition of slavery than the one you have," Harry snapped back. "I could have stayed at my aunt and uncle's my whole life and been their slave, yet somehow that was legal. It was one of the best days of my life when I was rescued and introduced to magic, and yet what do I face here? Most people would think it's a whole lot worse than what my life was before. Now my goal is becoming some kind of hit man for the wizarding world, or die trying. I've already seen more death than I can stand, and yet I know there's more to come, and that I have to _cause _some of it. The difference is that I made a choice. I _chose_ to be here and do this." Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair distractedly. "Just leave Winky alone and let her be happy."

Hermione chewed her lip in consternation.

"Everyone's a slave to something, Hermione," he said resignedly. "Everyone has things they have to do with their life. The difference is the attitude you have about doing it."

Ginny came down the stairs then, eyes flickering between the two. "What's going on now?"

"Harry has bought you a house-elf," Hermione said stiffly.

Ginny's eyebrows slid up. She fluttered her eyelashes at Harry. "Oh daahhling! A ring and a house-elf! How you spoil me!"

"A ring?" Hermione asked sharply.

Harry just smiled. "I need breakfast. I have to eat before Moody gets hold of me." He turned to go to the kitchen.

* * *

Still in the hallway, Hermione scanned Ginny from head to toe, calculatingly. "Just what did you do last night, anyway?"

"Nothing," Ginny scowled. "I fell asleep on his bed before he was done talking to Lupin. When I woke up, this was on my finger." She showed her friend the mysterious ring.

Hermione squinted at the small stones. "Ruby and peridots… July and August birth stones? Those would be yours and Harry's. Was it an early birthday present?"

"Hmm, that wasn't what I had in mind for my birthday..." she trailed off, pink rising in her cheeks.

"What _did _you have in mind?" Hermione demanded.

"Oh don't turn into Mum on me, I know you're sleeping with Ron."

It was Hermione's turn to flush. "This isn't about me. We're talking about you and why you're wearing a ring and why Winky called you Mistress Potter and…. How would you know?"

"Winky called me _what_?"

"Well, she sort of slipped up, then she said 'Miss Ginny' after that." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Now what were you considering regarding your birthday?"

"Well, unlike _yours..._" she shot Hermione a pointed glance. "_My_ boyfriend is holding out on me. He says it's because I'm not of legal age, but I think he just likes to torment me."

Hermione raised a brow. "Really. How interesting..."

"No, not '_interesting.'_ Frustrating!"

Hermione hauled Ginny into the library.

"Do you think the age thing is just some excuse?" Ginny asked.

"How does he say it?" Hermione asked. "Without any of the, er, _personal_ details, please."

"Well, it started sort of serious, like one of those 'it's for your own good' discussions, but now it's more of a joke. At one point we were arranging details of a friendly little wager. He's usually kind of impulsive, so I can't quite figure why he's holding back."

"So you think he refuses because he doesn't want to lose his bet?" Hermione looked skeptical. "That doesn't really sound like Harry. You know he's got that nobility streak a mile wide. He probably doesn't want to do anything you might regret someday."

"How would I regret it?" Ginny frowned. "I want to feel closer to him, to show him how I feel."

"I think Harry is afraid of making your bond any stronger," Hermione mused. "He probably thinks if you never take that step, and he… er, _dies… _it'd be easier for you to move on."

"If he dies, I'd want to die, too," Ginny said flatly. She thought for awhile, then shook her head. "So maybe I should just convince him it's just physical gratification and be flippant about it? Convince him it won't change things?"

"He's smarter than that, Ginny."

Ginny sighed. "Why can't he just be a normal, hormonal teenager?"

"I'm pretty sure he wonders that same thing." Hermione patted her shoulder as they turned to go to the kitchen for breakfast.

* * *

The War Room was put to use with Mad-Eye Moody putting them through their paces. Besides his "Constant Vigilance" mantra, he also shouted random bits of clichéd wisdom which he apparently felt to be encouraging. 

"Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing!" he snapped as he caught Ron's hesitation before hexing Luna. "There's no such thing as a fair fight – only ones where you win or lose! Remember, war doesn't determine who is right. War determines who is _left_."

To Harry, he spouted, "There are old wizards and bold wizards, but there are no old, bold wizards!"

Later he quizzed them on defensive strategies. He used Ron's unconventional approach to the silencing of Mrs. Black's portrait as an example. "If it's stupid, but it works, it's not stupid. Use anything you can think of to take down an opponent." He had them fling the most obscure hexes they could think of at each other. Hermione and Luna easily won that round, and spent some time teaching the others the jinxes they had used.

"The price of greatness is knowing that it can't last forever," he lectured, stomping his wooden leg for emphasis. "Voldemort's time is up. Mother Nature always sides with the hidden flaw, and we know Voldemort's flaw." He pointed at Harry. "We have to make his mistake the key to our attack."

"Hermione!" his voice cracked like a whip. "What have you learned in the library?"

Hermione jumped. "Could you be more specific, Professor?"

"What _specifically _are you researching?" Moody demanded.

"Snakes, Dumbledore's memories of Tom Riddle, ancient languages, spell creation, dementors…" She ticked things off on her fingers.

"Good, good," Moody nodded approvingly. "We will need periodic reports on everything all of you learn. This mission is a joint effort. No stupid heroics." He glared pointedly at Harry. "And yes, boy, I do know about the prophecy. It _doesn't _say you will do it all alone. Look around you, boy! Has it occurred to you that part of the power Voldemort knows not is your ability to surround yourself with some of the best witches and wizards of the age? Making them realize their potential? Knowing there are things worth fighting for? Voldemort is a bully. He's not a leader. He controls through fear and manipulation. And he only wants certain types of people: pure-bloods, mostly Slytherins and people who are easily swayed. You have your choice of the smartest Ravenclaws, the bravest Gryffindors, the most loyal and diligent Hufflepuffs, and possibly some of the more cunning Slytherins." Moody rapped his cane on the floor. "Seems like we have pretty good odds, if we develop our strengths." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "And learn to fight dirty," he added as an afterthought.

The teens did well demonstrating their spellwork and training. Moody and Tonks teamed up against them in pairs, to show them what trained Aurors were capable of.

Neville and Luna needed to work together more to make a good team, Ron teamed best with Hermione, and likewise Harry with Ginny. Various pairings had been attempted, but that was how they had practiced most often, and it showed. They vowed to practice switching partners because, as Moody pointed out, they may not know who they'd be caught out with.

"Constant vigilance!" he roared warningly again as he headed for the door.

Lupin glanced at his watch. "It's almost time for lunch. Everyone get cleaned up." He turned and caught Harry's arm. "Wear long sleeves and jeans. Your boots and gloves may come in handy as well. I'm not sure what kind of wreckage we'll be wading through."

Harry nodded. The adrenalin high he'd felt after a good training session plummeted. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders as he left to shower and change.

Hermione had asked if he could set out the Pensieve and Dumbledore's memories for them to go through in his absence, so he pulled those out of his trunk and set them on his desk for her. She, her parents and Ginny planned to spend the afternoon in the library, researching and brainstorming. Ron, Neville and Luna decided to do more training in the War Room with Tonks.

The group ate lunch quietly, most of them sneaking glances at Harry, who steadfastly kept his gaze on his plate and picked disinterestedly at his food.

Luna alone seemed serenely unconcerned. "Harry, watch for Snaggletoothed Sungliders, won't you?" she said conversationally. "I'd like to find a nest. They're very loyal."

"Snaggletoothed sungliders?" Ron asked. "What are they, invisible miniature dragons?"

Luna smiled beatifically. "Yes, actually. They aren't invisible all the time, of course."

"You should meet my brother Charlie," Ron suggested. "He's a dragon handler in Romania."

"How exciting."

"Ready, Harry?" Lupin asked.

Harry dropped his fork with a clatter and rose to his feet in a single motion. "Let's go." He caught Ginny's gaze and smiled faintly. "See you in a bit."

Lupin Side-Along Apparated Harry to a small, picturesque village. Professor Flitwick and Moody were waiting for them. Moody promptly Disillusioned Harry, then the rest of the group.

"Any sign of activity?" Lupin asked.

"Seems clear," Moody said cautiously. "Wands out, be alert. Shack is around here somewhere, watching our backs."

Harry felt better, knowing Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt was around, but he didn't dare relax his guard. For all he knew, with Pettigrew as the Secret-Keeper, Voldemort could be using Harry's parents' house as headquarters and the place could be crawling with Death Eaters.

They walked a short distance beyond the outskirts of the village. Harry saw a house with a long, winding driveway. "Is that where we're going?" he asked Lupin.

"Yes. We'll be using the back entrance as it's better camouflaged."

Harry felt a tingling dread numb his insides as they crept closer.

"Where are Moody and Flitwick?" Harry whispered.

"They couldn't see through the charm. We have to go in first, cancel the charm, then they can Apparate up to the house where Flitwick will redo the charm. Now, just stay here a moment while I check inside."

Lupin scanned the house with his wand before peering in a window. Harry could see a slight shimmer when he moved. After a few moments, he saw the door swing open. Still he waited. His gaze traveled over the exterior of the house. It looked like a nice, sprawling Muggle cottage. Some of the windows were broken, and when Harry thought, "_Reparo,"_ the glass flew back into the panes. _"Oops, didn't mean to do that." _He waited a bit longer, then decided to go in, wondering if Lupin needed backup.

Inside, the damage was extensive. Many of the interior walls were crumbling. There were scorch marks and holes blasted through the ceilings. It looked as though there had been a series of explosions throughout the house.

Harry was somewhat disappointed that he felt no immediate sense of recognition. He didn't remember living in the house. He wandered through, lightly grazing his fingers across walls, thinking, "_Reparo,_" over and over, fixing some minor damages. He walked slowly up the stairs, repairing the banister on the way. The numb feeling of dread had gone, and he merely felt an empty hollowness.

His steps slowed as he explored the upper level of the house. His parents' bedroom seemed mostly intact. His heart gave a rather painful squeeze as he curbed the strange, sudden desire he felt to crawl into the bed and hide under the coverlet.

The furniture was untouched, but there were no personal effects. No hairbrush with strands of long, auburn hair on the vanity, no watch or jewelry strewn on the dresser. Harry wondered who had taken those kinds of things. Hagrid? Dumbledore? Who had packed up his parents' effects to be deposited in the family vault? Who had sent the small trunk of things to Aunt Petunia?

He continued his inspection, through a guest bedroom and a well-lit, airy room that looked to have been a small potions laboratory. He picked up a phial and sniffed gingerly. "Wolfsbane," he murmured, wrinkling his nose. His mother must have made it for Lupin. Suddenly, he frowned in puzzlement. "Why isn't it dusty in here?" There were many cobwebs, but no dust.

Lupin's voice came from the doorway. "Your mother put an anti-dust charm on the house," he said, Disillusioning himself and Harry. "She hated dusting."

"Funny it still works," Harry said, running a finger across a pristine shelf.

Lupin shrugged. "She was a very talented witch."

"Apparently she didn't mind spiders," Harry flicked his wand at the cobwebs collected in the corners.

Harry had gone to the final door and paused before turning the knob. Lupin must have repaired the door that had been blasted off its hinges, he decided. He began to suspect Lupin had come up to this room first to spare him the evidence of how his mother had died. Harry opened the door and surveyed the bright, cheerful nursery. The walls were pale yellow, as though infused with sunshine. There was no sign of the violence and death that had taken place. Harry touched the rail of the cot.

"She always said she'd charmed the cot to give you sweet dreams," Lupin commented.

Harry's grip on the rail tightened.

Abruptly, he pulled his hand away. "Was there anything here? Anything that Voldemort could have been planning to turn into a Horcrux?"

"No," Lupin answered softly. Harry swiveled on his heel to leave the room.

Lupin stopped Harry in the doorway and made a mark over his head on the frame.

Harry frowned and blinked questioningly; until he noticed Lupin smile and point to a mark much lower on the same frame. Harry crouched and traced the other mark with his finger. "This was how tall I was on my first birthday?" he asked wonderingly, reading the small inscription next to the hash mark. "Wow, I was a titchy midget."

Lupin chuckled. "No, Harry, actually you were a strapping young lad. Your mum was _immeasurably_ proud of your growth."

"Hard to believe kids are really that small," Harry mused.

"Luckily for your mum, you started out a whole lot smaller than that."

"Please tell me you don't have diagrams of the delivery," Harry winced.

"Ah, no, but I could extract the memory for the Pensieve," Lupin offered.

Harry gave him a look of such alarm, Lupin had to laugh. "No, I wasn't _in_ the delivery room. There are probably photo albums in the vault you could look at though. James got to be quite a shutterbug."

Shaking his head at the thought of his dad acting like Colin Creevey, Harry turned to go down the stairs. "Let's get this charm thing taken care of," he said.

* * *

Within minutes, Harry had canceled the charm. Flitwick Apparated to the house and reapplied it with Lupin as the new Secret-Keeper. As an extra protective measure, Moody magically sealed the house. Anything inside would be trapped inside. 

"Never know what kind of rodents might be lingering about." His nostrils flared, as if trying to catch the scent of hidden enemies.

"So with the house sealed, we could fumigate?"

"What's _'fumigate_'?" Moody asked.

"My aunt was forever having the house fumigated for spiders," Harry explained. "You seal the house up and the exterminator sets off some kind of smoke that poisons insects. After a few hours, you ventilate the house, go back in and clean up the dead bugs."

Lupin nodded approval. "We'll set off some Garroting Gas in here. It's odourless and colourless. Anyone in there would never notice until it was too late to use a Bubble-head Charm."

"I'd venture a guess that the twins have some," Harry suggested. Lupin Apparated away and popped back a few moments later, holding a heavy canister. Moody released the seal on the door, and Lupin, holding his breath, swiftly set the container inside the door and popped the top open. He darted back out the door, pulling it shut.

"How long will this take?" Moody growled.

Lupin did some quick calculations. "Based on the square footage of the house and the amount of pressure inside the canister, combined with the air circulation charm the twins applied to the gas itself, the house should be fairly well saturated by now."

The group quickly applied Bubble-head Charms to themselves as Moody unsealed the door and stepped inside.

"_Accio Death Eaters__! Accio Death Eater wands__! Accio Dark objects!_" Moody snapped in swift succession.

"Don't forget, _Accio Animagus_," Lupin said grimly.

A large beetle landed on the floor at his feet.

Harry snatched up the beetle. "Rita Skeeter, we meet again." He scowled, tempted to crush the unconscious bug.

Flitwick produced a small jar. Harry unceremoniously dropped the bug in and irritably screwed the lid on tightly.

"Skeeter, did you say?" Flitwick squeaked in his little high-pitched voice, squinting at the jar.

"Yes. That's Rita Skeeter. She's an unregistered Animagus with a penchant for eavesdropping. Apparently she's not a Death Eater, since she only came to Lupin's Animagus summons. I suppose she could be under the Imperius, but she's plenty nasty in her own right. Obviously Pettigrew revealed the address to her, and she stayed to spy while we reset the Fidelius. Being in here at the time it was cast included her in the charm, right? So she would have been able to come and go at will." He frowned. "Would Death Eaters Transfigured into animals be considered Death Eaters? Malfoy may be masquerading as a ferret these days."

"_Accio Transfigured Death Eaters_!" Moody flashed his wand. Nothing else in the house moved. He shrugged. "Just the one then."

"Do you suppose she could have interfered with the charm somehow?" Harry asked.

Flitwick blinked. "Well, that should be impossible, but…we don't dare underestimate You-Know-Who, do we." They all went outside and Flitwick re-did the charm, again designating Lupin as the Secret-Keeper. Lupin pulled out a piece of parchment and scribbled the address for Moody and Flitwick. They had been inside the house before, so hadn't needed it.

"Good," Moody nodded once, seeming satisfied. "Now, a few wards." He set to work, making arching motions with his wand as he muttered incantations.

* * *

"Harry," Lupin said quietly, pulling him aside. "Your parents are buried near here. There is a private graveyard right over that hill, beyond the house." 

Harry nodded and began walking. Lupin trailed behind, unsure if his presence would be a comfort or not, but unwilling to let Harry leave his sight.

Harry stopped suddenly and turned toward the house. "Professor Flitwick?"

"Yes my boy?" the petite professor asked.

"Could you come with us?"

"Certainly, just a moment." He added a few final flourishes, then hurried to catch up to Harry and Lupin.

They trudged up the hill and down the other side. Nestled in the cozy dell, a mausoleum was surrounded by marble headstones.

Lupin scanned the area for traces of magic, but found none. "Harry, be careful. The wards are down."

Harry gave him a sharp glance. "You think Voldemort has been desecrating more graves?"

He uttered, "_Accio Death Eater's wands! __Accio Death Eaters! __Accio Dark objects! __Accio Animagus!_" Not even a leaf stirred. _"Accio transfigured Death Eaters_!" Still nothing.

Harry turned to Professor Flitwick. "Can we do some kind of spell to keep all the graves intact? Or even a Fidelius Charm on the whole graveyard?"

Flitwick's brow furrowed. "Yes, we can try the Fidelius," he nodded. "But you should be the Secret-Keeper, Harry. That would be the most secure way to protect your ancestors' remains." Harry nodded and waited for the professor to complete the charm. It was a funny, ticklish feeling when the secret lodged firmly in his mind. He quickly scribbled the location on a piece of parchment and handed it to Lupin.

Professor Flitwick waved off the scrap of paper. "No, no, the less that know, the better, Harry, but thank you for your trust. I will go back and help Alastor finish on the house."

Lupin walked slowly, Harry at his side, pausing to read the names on the headstones. Some of the oldest markers appeared covered in runes. "I should bring Hermione here," Harry said, trailing his fingers over an engraving. "She could probably read these."

Lupin smiled. "I took Ancient Runes too, you know."

"Really?" Harry was surprised. "So you were like our Hermione to the Marauders?"

"I can't say I was as clever, but I did like Runes."

They stopped in front of a large, creamy white marble stone. There were no names or dates engraved on it at all; just carvings of a stag and an ornate flower. A lily, Harry realized.

"They requested the design when they made their wills." Lupin's voice trembled slightly. He inhaled deeply and sighed. "They wanted the dates left off, because they said their love is timeless. They also wanted to keep their identities somewhat private, to make it difficult for anyone who might want to locate their remains for nefarious purposes."

"It's almost like...they knew…" He looked questioningly at Lupin.

"Death was a very real possibility then. Worse than now, even. It was a daily occurrence, so people knew they had to have their affairs in order," Lupin explained. "Voldemort had armies of Inferi as well. Cremation became a very common practice."

"Were mum and dad cremated?"

"No," Lupin said, shaking his head. "Your mother was adamant about that." He flushed slightly. "She thought…in case you might need something from them…someday."

Harry's countenance twisted in horrified disgust. "No way. No, no, no." He shuddered violently.

"It was a good idea to protect this place," Lupin nodded. "I'm not sure why the wards were down. Perhaps they failed when Dumbledore died, but it doesn't seem that anything has been disturbed. I think I shall investigate more closely. You can join me or stay here."

Harry hesitated. "I'll find you in a bit."

Lupin nodded and walked away slowly, wand out. Harry sank to his knees. He placed his hand on the cold marble, but felt nothing. There was no tingle of lingering magic like he'd felt at the house. It was just a stone. He slowly moved his hand to the ground. It was strange to know their bodies were resting mere feet away. He flopped down on his back in the cool grass, parallel and in between where he imagined their coffins would be. He felt no comforting reassurance, no closeness. What he felt was peace. He realized their souls were not restless, not unhappy. They had died fighting for something important. "Someday I'll see you again," he whispered fiercely, staring up at the sky littered liberally with fluffy clouds. "But forgive me if I hope it's not for a long, long time."

He relaxed, listening to the quiet for a few moments. Finally, he stood and used his wand to produce some flowers, which he placed in an urn at the base of the stone.

Lupin returned and studied Harry a moment. "Do you still want to go to Gringotts today? If you're tired, we can go back to Headquarters."

"Gringotts is fine," Harry said. They walked back to the house, where Harry thanked Professor Flitwick and Moody and asked them to pass his gratitude on to Kingsley, who was probably still lurking about, watching their backs.

* * *

He grasped Lupin's arm to Side-Along Apparate to Diagon Alley. "Bet you can't wait to get your license, eh Harry?" 

Harry shrugged. He never had got used to the feeling of being sucked through a hosepipe. "I'd rather fly, personally."

Lupin handed Harry the parchment they'd used to write his will as they trudged up the steps and entered the bank. Harry spotted Griphook almost immediately and caught his eye.

"Mister Potter," the goblin greeted, walking briskly to meet them. "How can I assist you today?"

"Hello Griphook." Harry bowed slightly. "I hope we're not interrupting your other duties."

"Not at all, sir," the goblin said. "Do you need to visit your vault today?"

"Yes, please," Harry nodded. "But first, I need to have this filed. It's my will."

"Very good, I will take care of it." Griphook took the document and disappeared for a moment. When he reappeared, they climbed into a cart and shot down the steep incline toward the vaults.

The goblin stopped at Harry's vault. Harry handed him the key to open it, then went inside to refill his money pouch. Seeing some of Sirius' things, Harry called Lupin in to look them over. "I'll wait in the cart, you grab anything that looks useful, or any mementos you'd like to have. Nothing of this is very meaningful to me, so take what you want. Sirius would want you to have it."

Harry joined Griphook in the cart and asked about his family, chatting amiably with him while they waited.

Lupin emerged from the vault and Harry handed Griphook the other key. "Do you have time to take us to my parents' vault today? We need to take a look at something that was my mum's. You could drop us off and return later, if you're busy."

"I will wait." Griphook set the cart in motion. A few hair-raising drops and hairpin turns later, the cart came to an abrupt stop and the goblin opened the vault door with the key.

Harry and Lupin entered the vault. Harry headed straight for the Ministry chest he had seen before. He nicked his finger and pressed the drop of blood to the latch, but it didn't open. He frowned and looked at Lupin questioningly. "Griphook? Can I do magic in here?" Harry asked, wand poised at the trunk.

Griphook poked his head inside.

"I think my mum left some important papers in this trunk, but I can't get it open," Harry said.

Griphook inspected the trunk. "I believe it can only be opened when you reach the age of majority," he said finally. "It seems to be restricted by the bindings of this vault."

Harry sighed. "Good thing my birthday is next week then. I can get my Apparition license and come here that day." He turned to Griphook. "Will you be available?"

The goblin nodded curtly. "I will be at your disposal."

"Do you see anything else we should look at in here?" Harry directed his question to Lupin, who was wandering about within the vault.

"I haven't seen some of these things in years. Some of it I've never seen. We can look through it more carefully next week. Sorry, it's not really the big birthday celebration you deserve." He squeezed Harry's shoulder sympathetically.

"Still better than most of my birthdays," Harry shrugged. He didn't suggest waiting until the day after his birthday. He was even a bit relieved, as he did not want a large gathering to make another target for Voldemort.

"Well, let's head back then, I'm sure the others have been busy in our absence."

"Hang on, I'll check to see if anyone needs anything while we're here," Harry said, fiddling with his watch.

His watch glowed with a reply message almost immediately, and as he read it, a dull red flush crept up his neck and ears. He shook his head with a small, embarrassed smile. "Uh, we have a request for some ice cream and chocolate sauce..."

"I'm going to pretend I don't know who made that request."

At the grocer, Lupin went straight for the ice cream freezer before adding a canister and a jar to the basket.

"What're those for?" Harry asked, peering at the items.

"Dessert." Lupin grinned wolfishly and winked.

"I don't want to know, do I," Harry wrinkled his nose.

"What?" Lupin feigned innocence. "You can't have an ice cream sundae without whipped cream and a cherry on top!"


	17. Ice Cream Wishes, Whipped Topping Dreams

Disclaimer: The usual.

A/N: things are going to pick up in a bit, but first a bit of fluff, as you may have guessed by the title...

_**Ice Cream Wishes and Whipped Topping Dreams**_

Harry and Lupin returned to a bustle of activity. Winky was a model of efficiency, transferring dinner things to the table smoothly, simply glowing with happiness. Harry went to the dining room, where some of his friends were munching on platters of starters.

Ron sidled up to Harry, keeping a watchful eye on Hermione. "Mate," he whispered fervently, his cheeks filled like a hamster. "Utter brilliance ….Winky…. Keep her."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, she seems happy, doesn't she."

Ron swallowed his appetizers, giving Harry a careful, considering look. "Things went okay then, yeah?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, we caught Rita Skeeter at the house, and the wards had come down at the cemetery, but no real excitement."

"So," Ron said casually. "Will you get the house hooked up on the Floo Network?"

"Hadn't really thought about it, honestly. No reason to spend much time there." He glanced at Ron's curious face and shrugged. "I'll take you guys sometime, but it's not very interesting."

Truthfully, he did want to return, but alone…. No, he decided, he wanted to take Ginny. She'd probably understand the empty, longing feelings he had. Actually, the more he thought about it, she'd probably find some way to eliminate those feelings altogether. His ears turned pink at the thought. Where was Ginny, anyway?

Luna wandered over. "No Snaggletoothed Sungliders then?" As he met her eyes, he realized they weren't unfocused and dreamy – and she wasn't really asking about invisible miniature dragons.

"No, I didn't see any, sorry." He winked at her and whispered, "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"Glad it went well."

Neville caught his eye from across the room. Harry smiled and gave him a lazy salute.

Hermione's parents seemed to be enjoying their venture into their daughter's world. As they entered the dining room together, her dad was gleefully waving one of the twins' fake wands.

"He and Mr. Weasley could be brothers," Hermione said dryly, watching her father. "I caught Dad trying to take apart the toaster to see how it ran on magic this afternoon." She turned and watched Harry searchingly. "All right?" she asked finally.

"Yes, Rita Skeeter had the place _bugged_, but nothing else happened." His green eyes roamed restlessly over the room. He opened a butterbeer and sipped as he talked with her.

"Ginny will be down in a moment, she's finishing up in the library." Hermione said.

"Thanks," he said. "Maybe I'll go see if she needs any help." He quickly finished his drink and vanished the bottle.

Harry silently entered the library and watched in appreciation as Ginny stretched to replace a book on a high shelf. . She whirled at his soft _hmm_, catching sight of him near the doorway. With a squeal of delight, she leaped into his arms, knocking him back against a bookshelf.

He crushed her to him and inhaled her sweet scent as she clung to him.

"Rough day?" she asked softly, reaching up to brush his unruly hair away from his eyes.

"I've had worse, I suppose." He frowned, gazing into space. "The house was…weird…. It needs a lot of work, it's a mess. But it felt…I don't know, empty, yet…not."

"Like talking to a portrait?" Ginny guessed. "Like an imprint is there, but the real thing is gone?"

"Kind of like that, I suppose. I really don't _remember_ it, you know? I felt like I _should_, somehow. I don't remember them, but I wish I did," he said. "Or maybe I don't. It would have made the Dursleys seem even worse, knowing what I was missing. Mostly it just felt like something I really, _really_ wanted that I couldn't have. Something I had and…_lost_."

He curbed the urge to pull her closer. "The cemetery was nice," he continued. "Peaceful. I want to go back; maybe we can plant some flowers? Neville might have something."

Ginny stroked her fingers along his cheek and jawbone, drawing his eyes to her face. "That sounds nice, Harry. I'd love to help."

"So what did you learn in the library?" he asked, to keep himself from getting distracted by her lips.

"Oh, lots of stuff!" Ginny released him and grinned enthusiastically. "Hermy's parents are _brilliant_, they really had some excellent ideas. Hermione spent some time in the Pensieve. She wondered why Gaunt the Slytherin was bragging about having a Peverell crest ring, so we checked into that. Turns out the Peverell motto is 'Hinc Nihil Salus,' which means 'From here there is no salvation.' Not sure how that ties in. Oh, and Invisibility Cloaks don't work on snakes because they smell with their tongues or something. That's probably how the snake got Dad that time. And did you know Argus was a Greek monster with many eyes, a guardian to get rid of nuisances? No wonder Filch is so much fun."

Harry took her hand and led her to the room he'd come to think of as theirs. He stripped out of his too-warm clothing before choosing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of denim shorts. Ginny chatted animatedly the whole time, seemingly unaware of Harry wearing nothing but boxers. He dressed quickly, still listening to her excited chattering.

"Hermy's mum asked if we could transfigure a spare wand, or make a tiny wand, and do a switching spell to put it right inside your hand, to help people do wandless magic. Well, it wouldn't really be wandless then, but think, you'd never lose your wand again! Neville volunteered to test it. The twins'll want to be here to see that. Oh, Hermy's dad helped her write some letter to the Ministry for you to sign. It sounds all important and pompous, and probably won't do much good, but it'd be great if they'd take the advice."

Harry just stood, watching her. He'd only been half listening. She just looked so amazing with her skin flushed pink and eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Oh and dementors! Hermy's got this idea that I really don't understand, something about temperature and some Muggle thing called mollycues or something?"

"Molecules?"

"Yes! That sounds right. Something itty bitty. And how arsenic is poison to humans and rats, so something on some chart must be poisonous to dementors, if we could find what they're made of. Then we could make some kind of spray like doxycide. She thinks salt might be an important part too, it's supposed to get rid of evil spirits. And she wants to ask McGonagall about Bill teaching Defense this year, and he could be head of Gryffindor…mmpf…." Harry silenced her with his lips. His tongue slid lightly over her lower lip before grazing it with his teeth. Ginny's fingers laced through his hair. Harry's hands spanned her waist and slid up her back, pulling her body full length against his. The monster in his chest was very happy indeed as Ginny Imperturbed the door with mumbled incantations. Her wand clattered to the floor while his lips brushed her jaw and slid down her neck. He went along with the monster for several long, passionate minutes, until the voice in his head kicked in. With supreme effort, he forced his trembling hands to capture her roving fingers and moved his lips from the very sensitive area around her collarbone back up to her lips.

"Oh Merlin," she moaned. "Harry, if you tell me we have to stop again, I'm going to hex you."

"Gin," he sighed regretfully, "They're waiting for us downstairs. Don't you think they'd guess what we're doing up here this long? And, if Moody is here with that eye of his, he could _tell _them what we're doing up here."

"You realize I am very irritated and frustrated," Ginny pouted. "You'd better be planning on making this up to me at some point." 

Harry turned away from her and rubbed the back of his neck. "Gin, I'm sorry. I do want to be with you, more than anything," he said fervently. "I'm not a 'look before you leap' kind of bloke, so I really don't understand it." He smiled ruefully. "Oddly enough, my guilty conscience sounds a lot like my mum. And generally she's backed up by your mum, dad and brothers."

"Harry, my family loves you!"

"And I'd like to keep it that way!" he said. He waved his arm, indicating his room. "This just feels...wrong. Maybe it's this house, too many people always around."

"It's _your _house!" She rolled her eyes. "And the room is Imperturbed."

"This is the House of Black, and Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. This is _not_ a fairytale palace of happiness and good memories," he contradicted her.

"It doesn't matter _where_, it only matters _who_."

"It matters to me," he said.

"I don't need perfection, you know," Ginny said softly as she scooped up her wand to open the door. 

"Good thing," he chuckled, reaching for her hand..

Fingers interlaced, they left the room and walked down the stairs together.

"You know, it feels funny to own a house. I wasn't allowed to call anything mine for most of my life. I've never owned anything that didn't fit in a trunk before." His brow furrowed. "A house must be a lot of work and responsibility. Kind of a scary, grown-up sort of thing…. How am I going to take care of a house?"

"Dobby would love to move in."

"He's my spy at Hogwarts," Harry said.

"Winky?" she suggested.

_Pop_.

"Yes, Mistress?" The elf clapped her hand to her mouth. "Winky means Miss! _Miss_ Ginny!"

Harry's fake cough sounded oddly like a snicker. Ginny sent him a suspicious glance before turning back to Winky.

"Hi Winky, is dinner ready?" she asked, smiling fondly at her.

"Oh yes, yes Master and _Miss_! Winky was just coming to find you! Master must be starving!"

"Brilliant! You're right, I'm starving, and it smells excellent! How was your day, Winky?" he asked as they entered the dining room.

"Winky's days are good, thank you Master!" Winky showed her teeth in a very elfin smile, ears aflutter.

"If Dobby isn't busy, perhaps he'd join us for supper."

"Oh, yes, Master!" Winky nodded excitedly and disappeared.

"Are you trying to play matchmaker for house-elves?" Tonks asked.

"Wotcher, Tonks. Nothing wrong with happy elves."

"Everyone should be so happy," Lupin commented sagely.

"So I hear you picked up dessert, Harry." Tonks smirked.

Harry made a face of mock disgust. "Yeah, hope you enjoy it. That's the last time I go shopping with quirky Uncle Moony. It was a very disturbing experience. I may be scarred for life."

"You were already scarred for life," Luna commented offhandedly.

Everyone gaped for a split second before joining Harry's howls of laughter.

* * *

"Hermione, Ginny was telling me about all the progress you made today," Harry commented over his ice cream sundae. "That's amazing, I'm glad you're on our side." 

"Thanks," she flushed with pleasure at his praise. "I had a lot of help," she added modestly.

"Do we have any theories about the Hufflepuff cup?" he inquired hopefully.

"Well, not the location, but I went into the Pensieve to have a look at it," Hermione explained. "I think it was actually made from a Griffin claw. Griffin claws were sometimes used to make drinking cups. A griffin is sort of a cross between a lion and an eagle, you know, so it makes sense, house mascots and all. The legend says Godric and Rowena created the cup together as a gift for their dear friend Helga. Salazar became jealous and that's what seemed to start the massive rift that destroyed their friendship and drove Slytherin away."

Harry digested this for awhile. "So this cup is pretty important."

Hermione chewed her lower lip and frowned. "Well, I think there's more, that makes it even worse."

"How so?" Harry inquired.

"I'm still working out the details…. I need to do more studying," she demurred. "I'll keep you updated."

"_What the-_?" Ron sputtered, aghast. "Ginny, what is that on Harry's arm? Mum'll do her nut!"

Harry shifted his shoulder forward to peer down at the dragon he'd become rather fond of. "Why? What's he saying today? I thought you were going to quit teaching him swear words, Gin."

Harry glanced at Ginny and saw her gripping the tip of her tongue between her teeth, wand in hand and eyes gleaming.

He glanced down at his dragon, who had just turned his back on them, bent forward and pulled down scaly, dragon-hide "pants" to moon his audience, wiggling his bum tauntingly. On the dragon's tiny rump appeared a miniature pygmy puff.

"Oh my, he is a bit _cheeky_, isn't he?" Neville deadpanned.

* * *

The group wandered to the den. The Grangers had retired for the evening, and Tonks had supposedly gone to help Lupin put the ice cream things away. 

"So what's the agenda for tomorrow?" Harry inquired of Hermione, trying _not_ to think about where Tonks and Lupin were putting the whipped topping and chocolate sauce.

"Training and library," she answered. "I know Lupin wanted us to use some training time to rid the house of some more Dark objects this week, and we haven't. I suppose Winky will be doing the cleaning, now." She scowled at him. "So we can do training with Moody in the War Room again I suppose."

Harry nodded absently, thoughts elsewhere.

The Floo flared and expelled a pair of redheads bearing a large box. "Anyone for a film?"

* * *

Comfortably ensconced on large, squashy beanbag chairs, the teens watched a Muggle animated film called "Aladdin." Harry thought the cartoon characters were a little two-dimensional, but overall it was not bad, as far as films went. 

George looked thoughtfully at Harry. "So…any chance of luring Snake-breath into a lamp?"

"Beats me," Harry shrugged. "Are genies real? The 'all-powerful' thing he'd go for, but I don't know what the laws are governing magic lamps."

"Genies are also called _djin_, from the Arabic _jinni_," Hermione recited.

"_Ginny_, eh? Hands off the magic lamp there, mister." Fred jabbed his wand teasingly at Harry.

Ginny rolled her eyes and huffed in exasperation.

"Hey, weren't Tonks and Lupin supposed to watch this with us?" Ron glanced around, seemingly perplexed that a pair of adults would choose to be alone together rather than watch a cartoon movie with a room full of teenagers.

"Maybe he's finally going to propose, so they can start raising little wolflings," Harry gazed speculatively up at the ceiling in the direction of Lupin's room.

"Harry!" Hermione nearly snorted butterbeer out her nose. "They wouldn't have a litter of cubs. Lycanthropy is not genetic."

"What if Tonks could morph into a wolf while Lupin was a werewolf?" George challenged.

"No," Hermione shook her head and gestured at Harry, "Harry's dad had an Animagus stag form, do you think Harry looks anything like Bambi?"

"Bambi?" Luna asked. "The back-up singer for Stubby Boardman?"

While the others blinked at each other in confusion, Harry asked a question that had puzzled him for awhile. "Why don't all the Death Eater pure-blood wizarding families have lots of kids? You'd think the pure-bloods would want to outnumber the half-bloods and blood traitors."

"Well, pregnancy is very draining, generally," Hermione answered. "Hormones tend to make women a bit, er, off-balanced at times. Many witches lose their powers for months during pregnancy, and especially after having a baby. Muggles call it PPD, or Post Partum Depression. I think that's what happened to Riddle's mother, Merope. She lost her powers and even her will to live by the end of her pregnancy. You saw what just regular depression did to Tonks for awhile. She couldn't morph and her Patronus changed. Imagine that on a much larger scale. Sort of like having an internal dementor."

Ginny nodded agreement. "Some people think having too many children weakens the children's magic also, which is how you get Squibs. Almost as if there isn't enough magic to pass on. That's why pure-bloods like the Malfoys don't risk having many children. Mum never had any problems with the boys, but after me she did. She said her magic was off for months. Maybe that's why they decided to stop."

"So that thing Grindelwald was doing--trying to create his own race of super wizards--that would never work, because the witches would all start producing Squibs? Why would Riddle attempt that?" he asked.

"The theory doesn't hold true for all witches," Hermione answered. "And Voldemort would be happy to use it as a form of torture, regardless of the outcome. Squibs most likely occur to families who have _intermingled_ too often. The practice of cousins marrying cousins for too many generations doesn't enhance strengths, you see, it emphasizes weaknesses. So basically, mixing pure-blood 'traitors' with pure-blood Death Eaters would probably, unfortunately, work."

"Oh goodness, Luna," Ginny gasped. "I have to show you the charms to protect yourself."

"Harry, what do you know about Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth?" Hermione asked.

"Not much, why?"

"He may be important," Hermione said. "Has Dumbledore ever mentioned him to you?"

Harry's forehead furrowed in thought. "Moody has a photo of him in the Order, I think. I remember him saying the name, anyway, I don't really remember seeing him in the photo. And Dumbledore once told me there was some scandal with his brother doing illegal charms on goats, but he wasn't sure his brother could read. Sorry, that's all I remember."

"We need to find out more about him," she said, frustrated. "He could be the key to this whole thing."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Hermione huffed irritably. "I don't know. I need to find out some things yet. But obviously he is important, he's Dumbledore's brother. He probably knows _something_."

"Well, we know he's in the Order," Harry shrugged. "We can ask McGonagall."

"I'm going to Hogwarts." She whirled and headed for the cabinet.

"At this time of night?" Harry frowned. "You aren't going alone, then."

"Fine." She shrugged, rolling her eyes. "I'll drag Ron along. We can visit Crookshanks while we're there. Dobby is taking care of him for me. If someone stole his hair for tracking, he's safe there, and our location is protected."

"Brilliant," Harry grinned. "We won't wait up then."

She snorted. "Like you would have, anyway." She snagged Ron's arm on the way to the door.

Harry turned to the twins, intent on inquiring about obtaining a television and video player.

* * *

After the twins left, Harry dropped into a squashy chair, stifling a yawn. His eyes felt gritty, so he closed them for a moment. 

He was startled awake when someone dropped into the chair with him.

"Sweet dreams?"

"Mmmhmm." He reached an arm around and snuggled her close, using her as a pillow. Served her right for waking him up. She giggled and shifted to get more comfortable.

"Ruddy brilliant of you to send Ron and Hermy off to Hogwarts," she whispered, tickling his ear. "Two less people in the house," she murmured suggestively, tracing lazy spirals in the hair at the nape of his neck very lightly with the tips of her fingers.

"Mmmhmm."

"Neville has gone to tend his plants, and Luna is off to her room as well," she continued.

"Mmmm."

"We're all alone." Her fingers had slipped further up his scalp, massaging.

"I'm all yours," he sighed. "Just don't wake me up."

"Don't think I haven't considered that."

He opened an eye slowly. "That's very disturbing." He pretended to make an effort at getting up, but collapsed again, effectively trapping her. "Just levitate me to bed, would you?" he implored.

"I can't reach my wand, or I would, sorry." She grinned. "Oh, but wait! I can reach yours." She giggled as she pretended to fumble about. He groaned and removed her hand.

"You are _so_ bad," he said reproachfully.

"Oh, sorry," she said glibly. "Am I testing your resolve?"

He heaved himself to his feet, using her thigh for leverage. "You are incorrigible," he said primly.

"And you are impossible," she grinned impishly. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up to his room.

"I'm going to have a quick shower," he informed her as he picked up his bath things.

"All right, but if you're not out in ten minutes, I'll assume you've drowned and come in after you," she said warningly.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was nearly asleep when Ginny crawled up on the bed, spell-locking the door and dimming the lights with her wand.

She slid under the light blanket next to him, dousing the lights, and he turned to her, enfolding her petite frame into his lanky one.

"I suppose after the wedding Mum will be spending more time here, supervising. She'll probably make us sleep in our own beds," she said idly, trying to spark a reaction as she played with his fingers.

Harry sighed and mumbled, "If it's not one thing, it's your mother."

* * *

"You know," Tonks commented contentedly. "Whipped topping is good, but it's got nothing on chocolate." 

"Mmm, yes, the chocolate syrup was quite nice," Remus' fingers traced the path his tongue had sought from neck to navel and the sensitive places between and beyond. Tonks shivered.

She had liberally decorated Remus with whipped syrup, driving him wild with the trails she'd taken with the sugary confection. Then she'd sneakily performed a chilling charm on the canister, and the tussle that ensued had been very messy, not to mention sticky. They'd cleaned up with a long, hot shower. Remus laundered the bedclothes with a tricky flick of his wand, and they slid between the cool sheets, sated and comfortable. Suddenly Tonks sat up straight.

"What is it?" Remus queried sleepily.

"We forgot the maraschinos!" she gasped.

He pulled her back down to his pillow, nestling her firmly against him. "Oh no, I didn't forget," he nuzzled her earlobe. "Those are for a midnight snack."

* * *

At Hogwarts, Hermione was becoming frustrated in her search for information about Dumbledore's brother. Headmistress McGonagall was not in residence that evening, and Ron was unwilling to spend any more time in the library. Even Crookshanks seemed tired of her studying, batting the pages to make her lose her place. 

"Are you trying to help?" she crooned, stroking his furry cheek. Whimsically, she gave him the book. "Here, find me the right page." She pushed the book to the cat, and smiled playfully at Ron.

"Okay, let him look," Ron rolled his eyes heavenward. "But that is the last book for tonight. I don't think I can even make it back to Headquarters, I'm knackered." He yawned hugely.

Hermione frowned at Crookshanks' reading selection. "Well, that was a good try," she consoled. "Dionysus is interesting to read about, but I don't know if it's very helpful. Though I see he associated with satyrs, so you did find us a goat connection. Such a smart boy!" She ruffled his fur and read a bit further. "'Atypical deity, mysterious…realm is shadowy…followers flirt with madness, drunkenness and death…. He is the god who brings wine, but also an intoxication that merges the drinker with the deity. Legend says he is slain and is reborn, and could transform into a lion.'" She continued to stroke a loudly purring Crookshanks and her eyes took on a familiar, unfocused, thoughtful look Ron knew all too well. He groaned in dismay. "Please," he pleaded, imploring her with the puppy-dog eyes she couldn't resist.

"Dobby?" she called softly.

_Pop_.

"Yes miss?"

"Are the dormitories available to sleep in? We have training here early in the morning, so we may as well stay here, rather than disturb anyone back at Headquarters at this late hour." She had told her parents that she planned to stay in her dorm that night so she could be closer to the library and Crookshanks.

Her parents had been invaluable assisting with research, but they really cramped her style. Her dad in particular seemed to have a distinct knack for seeking her out, just when she and Ron thought they'd have a few moments alone together.

"No, miss, you do not have a dorm any longer," Dobby informed her. "The Head Boy and Girl rooms are for sir and miss now. Dobby will show yous!" He grinned happily. Tonight he was wearing a few of the hats she had knitted. She urged Ron to hurry and Crookshanks trotted regally at her heels.

She gasped when she saw her new room. "Oh Ron, come and see! This is lovely!" The room was cozy, dominated mostly by the large four-poster canopy bed. There was a large desk, perfect for studying, and a roomy wardrobe. The décor was Gryffindor red and gold, with enough fringes and tassels to make it tastefully feminine without being overly frilly. She inspected the heavy oak bookcases that lined one full wall, moaning reverently as she ran a hand across an empty shelf.

Ron suddenly poked his head through the doorway. "What in Merlin's name are you doing in here?" he asked. Seeing her stroking the shelves, he smirked. "Oh, that's alright then. I thought you were starting without me," he winked.

"Ronald!" she pointed an admonishing finger at him. "Mind your manners!" she scolded, but there was a teasing glint in her eyes. "And your mouth," she whispered huskily, as he swiftly crossed the room with his impossibly long legs, capturing her admonishing finger and bringing it to his lips. He turned her palm upward and placed soft kisses on it. Behind his back, he flicked his wand at the door, closing and Imperturbin_g_ it non-verbally. His lips found the pulse point at the inside of her wrist and the crook of her elbow before exploring his way up to her collarbone and neck. She shivered with anticipation as his hands, large and calloused but surprisingly gentle, slid under her shirt and traced a pattern up her back, deftly unhooking the closure he found there.

"Mmm," her eyes closed in delight at the sensations coursing through her as his nimble fingers caressed her expertly. He scooped her up effortlessly and deposited her on the bed. She giggled and rolled away from him, escaping off the opposite side of the bed. He growled and crawled across the bed towards her. She shrieked and ran around the foot of the bed, disappearing into the private bath. She emerged a few moments later, having changed into the short, filmy nightgown she had brought along, conveniently shrunken and tucked in her pocket. She had popped a tooth-flossing mint and waved her wand carefully over her abdomen with softly murmured incantations before opening the door, only to find that Ron wasn't on the bed any longer.

"Hermione, check this out!"

She pushed through a tapestry curtain and discovered a kitchenette, fully stocked. Ron was happily demolishing the contents of the cooling cabinet.

"Brill'nt!" His eyes widened, and he tried to smile appreciatively around a mouthful of crisps.

She raised an eyebrow when she realized he was admiring her attire rather than the food. She brushed past him slowly, prolonging the unnecessary and tantalizing contact. She tossed her hair over her shoulder provocatively as she tested the tapestry on the opposite wall.

"Oh! This connects to your room?" Ron's room looked almost identical to hers. She tapped his door with her wand, though she doubted it was necessary. Ron was leaning against the door frame, watching her investigate.

"So, which room?" he inquired with that little half smile Hermione found so adorable.

She pretended to seriously consider the question. "Well, you know, should anyone check, both beds will need to appear slept in…"

* * *

Crookshanks finished the snack Ron had given him in the miniature kitchen, washed his paws and face fastidiously and peeked his head inside the bedroom. His mistress appeared to be occupied for the awhile, so he wandered to the other room to find a soft place for a nap. As he closed his eyes and tucked his front paws under his chest, he hoped the pretty little Kneazle he'd recently met would come back for a visit again soon.

* * *

Somewhere, Voldemort was inundated with flashing images of a bare midriff, drizzled with whirls of chocolate sauce and topped with a bright, red cherry. He bellowed for Snape to bring headache potion and something for nausea.  



	18. Stag Night

Disclaimer: still not her, but I am really dragging my feet to the wedding scene, for some reason... Probably because I had assumed it would be at the Burrow, and discovered on HP Lexicon it's supposed to be in FRANCE. So, rather than rewrite 18 chapters to accommodate that, I added a magical portal.

EDIT: Wouldn't you know it? JKR apparently decided to have the wedding at the Burrow after all. Since this is all AU after DH anyway, I decided to leave it as is. :)

_**Stag Night**_

Harry awoke from the throes of a nightmare, shuddering in a cold sweat and gasping for breath.

"Harry, love, shhh, it's okay, it's just a nightmare," Ginny's voice soothed, her hand stroking his brow.

Awareness rose above the panic and shame crept in. He hadn't had a nightmare like that in a long time. His hands shakily covered his face, blocking Ginny from his vision. After a few deep breaths, he could try to shut out the horrible images that persisted.

"Sorry," he muttered.

She slipped out of bed and he heard her soft footsteps pad down the steps, probably to make him some tea. He added guilt to the repertoire of bad feelings churning through him, curled into a fetal position, tucking Ginny's pillow to his chest. He relaxed as he inhaled her fragrance. The constriction around his heart eased, and he was grateful that she had gone and given him time alone to compose himself. He found his wand and brightened the dim lights Ginny had activated. Nightmares never seemed as frightening in the light. He slowly replayed the dream, trying to determine if it was just an average nightmare or a Voldemort implant. His head throbbed, but it was in his temples rather than his scar.

Ginny quietly re-entered the room, closing the door behind her with her foot, balancing a tea tray in her hands. She frowned seeing Harry curled tightly around her pillow.

"Are you awake?"

"Yeah," he answered without moving.

She sat on the side of the bed where her pillow had been, settling the tea tray near Harry's knees. She sat cross-legged, scooting closer to stroke his forehead.

Relieved that she wasn't pressing for details; Harry lay still for a long time, thinking about the dream. Finally, he sighed wearily and sat up, drawing his knees to his chest. Ginny handed him a cup of tea.

"Thanks." He still couldn't quite meet her eyes. "Sorry I woke you."

Ginny shrugged. "The tea is Mum's secret recipe; it's good for headaches and stress. And don't be sorry. I have my share of bad dreams too, so your turn's coming, I'm sure."

They sipped their tea in companionable silence.

"It was bad, but I don't think it was from Voldemort," he finally said. "Just a product of my own twisted mind, which, frighteningly enough, is worse than anything Voldemort has sent."

Ginny shook her head. "Bad enough to have nightmares, but Voldemort's too, _ugh_." She rose and collected their tea things, setting the tray on the desk. She dimmed the lights to the barest glimmer, spelled the door and climbed back into bed, facing Harry.

"I don't have any right to be with you," he whispered dully.

"What do you mean?"

"That dream was…beyond horrible. I have no right to ask you to be with me. You could get hurt. Or worse." His voice sounded tired and defeated.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Harry, you do recall that Dumbledore said, 'It's our choices that make us who we are,' don't you? So don't you think it's a fair idea to let people make their own choices? You _do_ have the right to ask me to be with you. It is _my_ _choice_ to weigh my options and make a decision. I've done that, even if you don't ask."

"Then you aren't old enough to make decisions that might get you tortured and killed."

"You've been making those decisions since you were eleven," she retorted.

"No one ever cared if I died before," he shot back.

Ginny closed her eyes and her jaw clenched. "I'm going to ignore that last statement, and I'm not going to argue with you about my age. You know that's not even a valid point. Let's just agree that Voldemort has made both of our lives hell. We've had to grow up too fast so let's move forward together. End of discussion. Now, do you want to tell me about the dream?" she asked. "You don't have to," she added. "I know dreams seem worse at night."

"This one would be pretty awful any time," Harry closed his eyes tiredly. He paused for a long time. "We were at the cottage in Godric's Hollow. Voldemort showed up, and I couldn't stop him," he said tersely. "I couldn't protect you... You should get as far away from me as you can."

"Is that what you'd do, if our situations were switched?" she asked sarcastically. "Oh no wait, I already know the answer to that, don't I. You risked your bloody neck to come after an idiot child you barely knew in the depths of a monster's lair when you were twelve years old."

"That was different; only a Parseltongue could open the Chamber. I was the only one who could help you."

"Well, maybe I'm the only one who can help you now. I'd like to feel needed too, you know."

"You deserve better. You deserve safety, and happiness, and someone who can promise you a lifetime," he whispered.

"No one can do that better than you," she smiled. "You've given me four extra years already. Now quit arguing with me. You know it's pointless, I always win. Actually," she said cheekily, "that's something you might well keep in mind for sake of future arguments. Dad will tell you the trick is to just say 'Yes, dear,' and go along with anything."

"I highly doubt your dad would tell me to agree to _all_ of your requests," Harry finally smiled.

"I guess you'd just have to ask him," she chuckled wickedly. "Now roll over," she pushed at his shoulder.

"Why?"

"So I can rub your back until you fall asleep." She yawned. "I'd offer to rub your front, but you'd just turn me down and I don't handle rejection well at this time of night."

Harry actually laughed as he obediently turned over. "Yes, dear."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" She gently ran her left hand up and down his back in the same soothing motion her mother had always used. Her hand slowed and stopped when she dozed off, and Harry turned to watch her sleep. He gently pushed her to her back and wriggled his arm under her neck. She shifted to fit against his frame and sighed contentedly. His free hand splayed over the soft, bare creamy skin of her stomach as he drifted off, reminding him of the Occlumency projection he'd been practicing earlier in the evening involving chocolate syrup…

* * *

The days preceding the wedding were a flurry of activity. Time was spent training and studying in the mornings and at the Burrow in the afternoons and evenings. Hermione found time to transfigure communication devices for the others, upgrade her parents' emergency Portkeys and visit the Hogwarts library to spend time with Crookshanks. 

Following the uneventful rehearsal, the boys readied themselves for Bill's stag party. Before they left, Mrs. Weasley threatened the boys that drinking was dangerous and unacceptable. The boys sniggered a bit after she left, double-checked their wands and Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Shite," Harry groaned as he stepped into the pub to a collective gasp and silence. Trying to ignore the stares and whispers, he, Ron and Neville chose a table in a corner. Harry wished he'd remembered his Invisibility Cloak.

"Way to make an entrance, little brothers!" The twins smirked as they swung into their seats, straddling the chairs backwards. "What are we drinking this evening?" Fred asked.

"Best stick to Butterbeers," Ron warned.

"Oh bollocks," George scoffed. "Quit being an old woman."

"When Death Eaters storm the pub and you're too drunk to defend yourself, you try explaining to Mum why you're dead."

"Oh ickle Ronnikins, you worry too much," Fred said airily. He tapped the boys' shirts with his wand, uttering an incantation none of them recognized.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"New Shield Charm," George grinned. "We'll be using it on all the guests at the wedding as well.

"And all the flowers are Dark Detectors. Anyone with a Dark Mark comes within a hundred meters, they scream like banshees," Fred said proudly, as he and George stood to refill their drinks.

"What about dementors? Or Greyback?" Harry asked. "Or giants, snakes, vampires, banshees, hags, or guests under the Imperius?"

"Well, vampires won't really be a problem, unless there's an unexpected solar eclipse all afternoon." Charlie said as he dropped into one of the chairs vacated by the twins. "But my dragons should be able to handle some of the Dark traffic."

Harry raised a brow. "Did you happen upon a nest of Snaggletoothed Sungliders, by any chance? Or are we talking about Hungarian Horntails?"

"These aren't nesting mothers," Charlie grinned. "They're trained fighting dragons. And who do you know with a nest of Sungliders?" he asked interestedly.

"No one," Ron said. "but Luna wants one for a pet."

Charlie shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."

"Isn't it illegal to have dragons as pets?" Harry asked, surprised to hear Sungliders even existed.

"Well, Sunnies aren't real dragons," Charlie grinned lazily. "They're just flying lizards."

"I suppose you have a batch of Nargles in your pocket as well?"

"Nah, those hibernate in the summer. They're only out in the winter, as they have a thing for mistletoe," he said.

"Charlie, have we got a girl for you." Ron grinned.

Harry, Ron and Neville regaled Charlie with tales of Luna; her longtime act of being a ditzy blonde weirdo with a fascination for strange, invisible creatures, her odd taste in jewelry, and her unconventional outlook on life in general.

Charlie shook his head. "I don't know which is more disturbing: the fact that there are three teenage boys playing matchmaker, or the fact you thought _I_ need dating assistance. Thanks, really, but didn't you say she's in Ginny's class? Bit of an age gap, wouldn't you say?"

"Almost the same as Bill and Fleur," Ron argued.

"Still, I'm a bit old to be dating fifteen-year-old _little girls_." Charlie rolled his eyes.

"She's sixteen." Harry corrected. "They're in the same class, but Luna's birthday is before Ginny's. She's legal."

"Being sixteen might make it legal, but it doesn't mean it's right." Charlie glared at Harry. "And the fact you seem to have an interest in a certain birthday makes me think we need to have a little chat, Harry."

"Oh hell," Harry muttered, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead.

"So, Neville..." Ron tried to steer the conversation away from Ginny and Harry. "Are you dating anyone?"

Neville coughed on his Butterbeer. "Erm, not exactly, no, not really," he stammered, but a pink flush crept up his neck.

"Methinks he doth protest too much." Ron grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Who is she, Nev? C'mon, you can tell us."

"Ah, well, I did ask someone to the wedding," he mumbled, his face reddening further. He stared at the tablecloth, tracing the floral pattern with a thumbnail.

"Oi, who's the lucky bird then?" Ron pressed, still grinning like an idiot.

"Hannah Abbot," Neville said quietly.

"She's nice," Harry said. "Sad about her mum last year."

Neville nodded. "I sent a plant to her after the funeral, and we started owling a bit after that."

"How is she?" Ron asked, grin effectively wiped off his face.

Neville shrugged. "She's anxious for school to start again. Her last owl said it's worse being at home. She wants to be in the D.A. again, and hopes it meets more often. Mostly we talk about plants and things. She asked if I could tutor her in Herbology to help her catch up with what she missed. I sent her all my class notes and assignments to help her keep up with her schoolwork."

Charlie stood, casting a final suspicious glance in Harry's direction. "I have to make a toast. Stick around, Harry, I think the Weasley boys are going to have a little discussion with you this evening."

Harry looked imploringly at Ron, who shrugged. "I doubt they'll kill you. Emasculate you, possibly…"

"Where are you getting this new vocabulary, Ron_ald_?" Harry's voice dripped sarcasm. "Read any good dictionaries these days? Wonder if Mr. Granger knows just what kind of studying is going on. Be a shame if he accidentally found out."

Ron flushed and avoided his eyes. "All right, all right, I'll talk with the brother brigade. I have nothing to do with anything they plot anyway, so it probably won't help much."

"Ahem," Charlie had magically magnified his voice, bringing conversations to a halt. "We are here this evening to celebrate Bill's final evening of freedom." He paused for applause while a magic spotlight, courtesy of the twins, focused on Bill, who held up a hand to the glare, squinting. Lupin conjured him a pair of sunglasses.

Charlie continued his speech, concluding with, "Many happy years, mate! Cheers!"

Everyone raised their drinks to the toast.

Lupin wandered over, exchanging pleasantries with a few wizards along the way.

"So when are you ever going to marry Tonks?" Harry asked.

"I don't know why that is such a topic of conversation." Lupin shook his head. "I've been asked that very question a dozen times tonight."

"They just want you to know they approve." Harry smiled. "Despite your reservations."

"My reservations were perfectly valid. Fourteen years of age difference can be a hindrance."

"Good thing you were so immature in your misspent youth then," Harry said dryly. "She had time to catch up."

Lupin gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm a werewolf, I'm dangerous and have no prospects."

"I'd say your prospects look pretty bright. You could manage and consult for the twins' shop, you could start your own mini-Hogwarts for werewolves, you could work with Hermione to develop a better potion than Wolfsbane…" Harry shrugged. "Lots of ways to apply your talents."

"The Ministry has made it very nearly impossible for werewolves to hold jobs."

"The Marauders did the impossible many times over, from what I've heard," Harry said dismissively. "Though I think it'd be helpful to get Umbridge sacked first." He cocked his head in thought. "Wonder what Firenze is up to these days." His lips quirked at the corners and his eyes narrowed for a moment.

"Oh, speaking of the Marauders," Harry continued. "I found a book that seems to have been Sirius's. Do you want it?"

Lupin gave him an odd look. "Sirius only voluntarily bought one book in his life, I think. If you have the one I know about, you just go ahead and keep it." He grinned. "May it serve you well."

"Yeah, well, my main problem is finding a place to hide it," Harry said, disgruntled.

Lupin chuckled. "Sirius charmed to look like an Arithmancy book to anyone but a Marauder."

"Really?" Harry was impressed. "So is that charm still working? Why can I see it?"

"Must be in your genes."

"Actually, yeah, it is." Harry pulled it out of his pocket and enlarged it.

Lupin raised his eyebrows. "Those weren't the...nevermind."

"Neville, what book is this?" Harry asked, as Neville sat down after getting another bottle of butterbeer.

Neville paused to glance over at the cover. "Arithmancy for Arses, by Urnum Burzup."

"So here I've been sweating bullets, hiding this from everyone and they couldn't see it anyway. Sheesh." Lupin laughed, clapped Harry's shoulder and walked off to find Bill. Ron had returned to the table, toting a portable chess set. He challenged Neville to a match, so Harry propped his book up to read.

"Harry, what the bloody hell is that?" Ron gasped, aghast.

Harry jumped. "What?"

"You're reading an _Arithmancy_ book at a stag party?" he whispered, scandalized. "Put that away! People will see!" He glanced around for witnesses. "Next thing, you'll have one of those Arithmancy triangle block things like Hermione. They'll think you've gone round the twist!"

"Nothing new, that," Harry said absently, tilting his head sideways in puzzlement as he gazed at a page, finally turning the book upside down.

"Merlin, Harry, first you act like Hermione and now Luna." Ron looked alarmed. "Did you take something off the twins? You should know better than that. Let's get you home."

"Okay," Harry agreed readily. If nothing else, he could avoid Charlie for the evening. And maybe he could snuggle up with Ginny on the couch and practice a few of these new techniques right out of the book. Neville offered to go back with him, as he was not of age either.

"You stay here and have fun, Ron," Harry urged. "Bill wants you here, I'm sure."

Ron looked at him suspiciously, so Harry told him he just wanted to spend some time with Ginny.

"Ah." Ron nodded, glancing back at the room full of redheads. "Gotcha." He frowned irritably. "Just don't do anything that'll make me regret covering for you."

"Right. See you later then."

The first thing Harry heard when he spun into the Floo at the Burrow was Luna's voice, "Oh look, someone's coming. Maybe our strippers are here!"

He stopped dead in his tracks. Strippers? What the bloody hell was he about to walk in on? Then Neville crashed into him when he Flooed through. Harry held his arm out to stop his friend from going through. He held his fingers to his lips and turned back to listen.

"Strippers? Who ordered strippers?" Ginny asked.

Hermione's voice sounded annoyed, "Well, if the boys can have them at the stag party, we should have some at our little hen party here, don't you agree? Fair is fair."

"Oh 'Erminee! I am zo touched! I would love to tuck money in ze trousers of ze strippers! And zere pants also! I will get Gabby! She will love eet!" Fleur's voice sang.

"That's a wonderful idea, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

Neville and Harry stared at each other in horror. "Maybe we ought to go to Headquarters? Or back to the Leaky," Neville whispered. "I think we're interrupting something here."

"Yeah, why don't you just hop out and get us some Floo powder," Harry retorted.

Neville shot him a look.

Harry suddenly got suspicious. "Hang on, she wants to bring _Gabby _to watch strippers? Gabby's like…ten." He snorted. "They're having us on." He ducked out to a room full of women in pyjamas. Neville followed, and they brushed soot off their clothes, carefully keeping their eyes turned away.

"Erm, yeah, we're underage, so we came back early." Neville, crimson faced, seemed to find something intriguing to catch his stare on the ceiling. "So we'll just, er, head on up to Ron's room or somewhere."

"We'll just go and leave you to your little party here." Harry propelled Neville into the kitchen and out the back door. 

"Girls are so very scary." Neville shuddered as they walked to the pond.

"Mmm," Harry answered distractedly, looking out over the water. "I'm sure they didn't hire strippers. Mrs. Weasley would never allow that sort of thing. Ron tipped them off we were coming I bet. The whole thing was a joke." He stooped to pick up some smooth, flat stones, skipping them out over the water.

"Good idea, coming out here," Neville said. "It's too early to be holed up in Ron's room for the rest of the night."

Harry raised a brow. "Not only that, but would you have wanted to walk up those stairs with a room full of giggling girls staring at your bum?" He pulled the tiny book out of his pocket and tapped it with his wand. He sat in the grass beneath a tree.

Neville sat next to him, thoughtfully chewing a blade of grass, leaning back on his hands with his legs stretched out in front of him. "So what's that book really about?"

Harry chuckled. "What makes you think it's not about Arithmancy? I'll have you know I _do _have one of those 'Arithmancy triangle things' Ron mentioned."

Neville shot him a look of utter skepticism.

"I do!" Harry laughed. "Though any Muggle would recognize it as something else entirely."

"You don't read textbooks for fun, Harry," Neville pointed out. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen you read for fun, unless it was about Quidditch. And if that book was about Quidditch, you wouldn't bother disguising it…" His eyes narrowed as he regarded Harry for several moments. "Girls," he suddenly grinned triumphantly. "You've got a book about girls, haven't you."

"Keep your voice down," Harry hissed.

"Can I see?"

"Sure." Harry handed the book to him.

As soon as Neville touched it, his eyes widened and he looked back at Harry in awe. "Wow, does it just change when you touch it?" he asked.

"You can see the real book now?" Harry looked alarmed.

"Yeah!" Neville flipped through some pages. "Holy harpies, Harry," he gasped, eyes riveted to some of the pictures.

"Hold it up, maybe it only works for the one reading it," Harry said.

Neville obliged, but Harry still saw the real cover and title.

"You can test it on Ron later," Neville suggested.

Harry winced. "Ron would probably hex me and burn the book."

"Can I borrow it when you're finished?" Neville asked hopefully.

Harry looked at him appraisingly. "Things are going well with you and Hannah then?"

"I think there could be potential." Neville grinned. "No need to ask about you and Ginny if you're already on _that_ chapter."

"I'm reading ahead," Harry said wryly. "Uncle Moony explained some things to me, but you can imagine how successful that was."

"He was a good professor, that probably went a whole lot better than the talk I had with my Uncle Algie." Neville gave him a sidelong glance. "Somehow, I still can't quite relate how birds and bees fit in the picture with pistils and stamens. None of that was as bad as an old, wrinkled man explaining the benefits of self-pollination, though."

Harry laughed, "Oh that definitely beats my story," he chortled, flopping down on his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows. "C'mon, we can both read."

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Ginny sneaked into the boys' room and crawled into the camp bed with Harry. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead," she whispered, kissing him awake. 

"Mmmmrrgrrhhh." He snared her with his arm and rolled, tucking her half underneath him and pinning her to the bed.

"Harry," she giggled, "Wake up, it's time for breakfast."

He growled and pretended to bite her neck.

Ginny muffled a shriek. "I'm not breakfast, tempting as that idea sounds." She worked her hands loose and started exploring.

"You realize we're not alone," Harry finally opened his eyes.

Ginny shrugged, "Ron's dead to the world, he didn't get in until after two, and Neville…eh, he can watch."

"You girls must have stayed up quite late." Harry frowned, trying to keep track of her busy hands. He ran his tongue around his teeth. "Did you brush my teeth? Why do I taste mint?"

Ginny grinned. "New spell I tried out." Her lips sought his and her tongue did her own investigation. "Seems to have worked like a charm," she smirked.

Harry sighed. "I ought to go shower. Today is going to be a long day."

"Want me to come wash your back?" she suggested.

"Much as your mum appreciates helpfulness and water conservation, I somehow doubt she'd go for that as an excuse. And I know your brothers wouldn't. I think Charlie was organizing a lynch mob last night just because I know when your birthday is."

"Ah, Harry." She patted his shoulder comfortingly. "They only hunt people they love. Funny they didn't threaten to burn you at the stake, though. That's one of their favorite tricks."

"They may have." Harry shrugged. "I didn't really stick around long enough to find out."

"Why were you discussing my birthday, anyway?" she asked brightly. "Have you been shopping?"

"No, actually, we were talking about Luna's birthday," he said vaguely, "Ron was trying to convince Charlie that he and Luna should get together, since they both have a thing for weird creatures. Charlie said he didn't want to date a little fifteen-year-old, so I pointed out that Luna already had her birthday, and somehow he got the idea I was counting down the seconds until _your_ birthday, and… well, anyway, I'm not really in any hurry to have a discussion with your hostile mob of brothers."

Ginny laughed.

"Ginny, shut up and get out of my room," Ron groaned. "Ohhh my head."

Ginny hopped out of the bed with an innocent look on her face. "What's that Ron? Your head hurts? Why would that be, Ron? What took you so long to get home, _Ron_? Who do you think got stuck comforting Hermione while you were out ogling strippers until two in the morning? And Ron, I would say _my_ presence in _your_ room--fully clothed--is much more appropriate than _your_ presence in _my_ room at two in the morning, in the state you stumbled in! Now get your arse out of bed and downstairs for breakfast!"

Ginny flounced from the room, blowing Harry a kiss on the way out.

"Oi, mate," Ron moaned, "Good luck with that one. She's sadistic."

"There were strippers?" Neville asked blearily, lifting his head from his pillow.

* * *

Once everyone had showered, dressed and eaten, they began hauling food and decorations into the arched garden trellis. Harry watched carefully as Mr. Weasley carried an armload of roses through the arch but did not exit the other side. Tentatively, Harry filled his arms and followed. 

Stepping out into a grassy vale surrounded by stately trees, Harry gasped in amazement. Near a babbling brook, rows and rows of chairs were lined up, separated by a center aisle. Wildflowers bloomed in abundance, and he could just make out the soft drone of lazy summer insects.

"Where in the world are we?" he wondered aloud, noting that the sun was in a different position in the sky.

"Somewhere in France," a voice behind him stated. "And don't think you've escaped us, Harry." Charlie grinned malevolently.

Harry raised a brow at the redhead before glancing over his shoulder and shouting, "Hey, Luna! Come here! Charlie thinks he knows where you can find a Sunglider nest!"


	19. Let Them Eat Cake

Disclaimer: My plot, JKRs action figures.

_**Let Them Eat Cake**_

"Is this how wizarding weddings are normally done?" Harry quizzed Hermione. "Or is it a security measure?" They sat with Luna, waiting for the ceremony to begin. They'd spent the morning hauling things through the trellis, setting up and decorating with Fleur's family before having a quick lunch back at the Burrow and getting dressed in their formal robes.

"You mean the portal or the location?" Hermione asked. "It's tradition to have the wedding near the bride's family, because usually they do most of the work. The Weasleys have such a large family, they sent the invitations out to their guests telling them to Floo or Apparate to the Burrow. They couldn't very well have people trying to Apparate to a protected location here in France, of course, so they set up the portal for the day. I believe there are several security precautions within it as well. This location is accessible only to guests who can pass through a portal. There is one at Fleur's family's house as well, I believe."

"Can it detect Polyjuice or Imperius?" Harry asked, concerned. "Or Animagus rats?"

"I'm sure they've covered all the angles," Hermione said, brows drawn.

"I bet this messes up the owls," Luna commented dreamily.

"I need to find Mr. Weasley and get some straight answers." Harry's jaw was set as he rose from his seat. "I don't see the need for secrecy."

"Bit twitchy, isn't he?" Luna observed.

"You could say that," Hermione sighed. "This is like a nightmare for Harry, I'm afraid. All the people he cares about in one location. His 'saving people thing' is giving him a nervous breakdown."

Fred and George ushered people to their seats, giving each one a discreet wand tap. Around each guest's neck was placed a small garland of flowers, resembling a Hawaiian lei.

Harry came back with a disgruntled look on his face. "Well, they claim Polyjuice is ineffective due to the one-hour time gap through the portal. Even if someone drank it just before stepping through, it would be worn off as they stepped through to the other side." He was still frowning darkly. "Full moon's not until tomorrow night, so no werewolves to worry about, no vampires during the day... Dementors aren't really a possibility, since they'd have to come through the portals."

"Oh dear," Luna gasped, her eyes like saucers. "You don't suppose…"

"What?" Harry tensed.

"Have they considered…." She lowered her voice and glanced around furtively. _"Cornish pixies?_"

Harry took a deep breath through flared nostrils. "Luna," he warned, "This is real. I know there's something coming. Voldemort has gotten strong enough to block me, so I'm not feeling the twinges in my scar anymore, but I know that bloody bastard is up to something."

"Well, of course he is," Luna nodded. "And we'll face the battle. Everyone is aware of the possibilities and they're on their guard. All we can do is our best, Harry."

Harry propped his elbows on his knees, massaging his eyebrows. He restlessly stood again, "I'm going to check on Ginny and Ron," he said. "Neville should be back with Hannah by now as well."

Sure enough, he met Fred escorting Neville and Hannah to seats next to Hermione and Luna.

Harry went to Ron's room first. "Hey, this portal thing would be the thing to have on your birthday, Harry!" his friend enthused, having recovered from his late night debauchery. "You could go through at eleven at night and it'd already be midnight there, so you could hit the pubs for an hour, then come back and hit a few more."

"Do you age an hour every time you go through?" Harry asked. He'd gone through so often, he probably qualified to actually be seventeen.

"Yeah, but you subtract it by coming back through." Ron shrugged. "S'pose you could Apparate round to the Burrow and come through a hundred times or so if you're in a hurry to come of age." Suddenly his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You aren't in a hurry for any reason, are you?"

"Nah, you know my birthday plans only include taking an Apparition test and spending the day in a vault," Harry said distractedly. "Have you seen Ginny?"

"Probably still in her room getting ready." Ron tried to straighten his tie in the mirror.

"Anyone else in there?" Harry envisioned walking in on a disturbing scene filled with witches in various stages of undress – bride, bridesmaids, friends and mothers all primping in front of a mirror.

Ron gave him another suspicious look. "Mum is probably in there helping, so don't get your hopes up for any privacy. And Charlie is just itching to get hold of you anyway, so watch your step."

Harry rolled his eyes. "As if watching out for Voldemort and his minions isn't enough fun, I need to watch my back for a pack of vicious redheads with a misplaced sense of propriety. No, Ron, I just wanted to check on her, make sure no one has kidnapped her or something. Merlin, I'll be glad when this thing is over." He left the room, shaking his head and muttering darkly. He tapped on Ginny's door.

"Come in, Harry," she chirped.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Because I recognized your body heat all the way through the door," she said, rolling her eyes. "No, seriously, you and Hermione are the only ones that knock, and she wouldn't be up here checking on me when everyone is _supposed _to be in their seats. I'd snog you silly, but I wouldn't want to smudge my lipstick, sorry darling," she said airily. "Now be a good boy and go sit down so this thing can get started."

"Will you at least be on the wedding side of the portal now?" he fretted.

"No, the portals are part of the ceremony," she said with a grimace. "Fleur's plan. Gabby will come through their side, then I come through ours, then Fleur makes her glorious appearance through theirs. Ron will escort Gabby and Charlie walks with me. Then the vows, rings, bondings, blessings, blah, blah, blah, now pronounce you, blah, blah, blah, Mr. and Mrs. William Weasley, kiss the veela--er bride--and off we trot." She waved her hands for emphasis, as if it would help speed things along.

"Not a fan of weddings?" Harry asked.

"No, not particularly," she huffed. "Entirely too much pomp and circumstance, not to mention the nightmare of organizing it in the first place and the stupid frilly lacy…ugh!" She gestured over her dress robes.

"You look gorgeous," he said sincerely.

"Thanks. But you'd best commit this sight to memory, because it isn't going to happen often," she warned.

"Not even for me?" he teased, his fingers playing with the ring on her finger.

"Are you ever going to tell me what that is about?" she raised a brow.

"It was my mum's," Harry gave her a lopsided smile. "When I put it on your finger, I wanted to ask you to…well, wait for me, I suppose. I shouldn't even ask."

"Oh Harry, of course I will, I promise." Ginny reached to kiss him, lipstick smudges be damned. As soon as her lips touched his, a bright flash of pink light sparked around them.

"Bloody hell! What was that?"

Ginny snickered. "What, you mean that's the first time you've seen fireworks when we're together?"

Harry frowned at her. "What did that ring do? Lupin never mentioned any enchantments on it."

"It was a beautiful ring on its own, but now it's a promise ring." Ginny smiled delightedly. "Did it glow when you put it on my finger?"

"I don't know." Harry blinked, wondering what a promise ring signified. "I wasn't watching it, I fell asleep."

"Why would Lupin know about it?" Ginny asked.

Harry quickly explained the stones and the story behind the ring, finishing with the ruby being his birthstone and the peridots hers, so it rightfully belonged on her finger.

"So what exactly does a promise ring do?" Harry asked delicately. He vaguely remembered Ron telling him about Arthur's reaction to his sons almost making an Unbreakable Vow as children.

"Well, it's not like an engagement ring," she explained. "It's just a token of commitment, really, no painful deaths upon broken promises or anything. Well, not from the ring, anyway." She pinned him with a narrow-eyed glare reminiscent of her mother. "Pink is happiness, joy, love, healing and kindness, so a bright flash shows an abundance of those things, which is good."

"Oh Merlin." Harry pursed his lips. "Did your mum or dad say anything? Sod it, no wonder Charlie is after my hide."

"No, I've had it Disillusioned around them mostly. I knew they'd ask questions and I didn't have answers until now." She smiled slowly, capturing his lips with hers again.

"You know, love," she purred. "You could ask for anything right now and I'd say yes."

Harry pondered a moment. "Would you wear these dress robes every night?"

Ginny laughed and shoved against his chest. "No, you prat."

"How about just for my birthday?"

Ginny snorted. "Not bloody likely!"

"So I'm not worth getting all dressed up for?" Harry gave an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

"Even better," she whispered wickedly. "You're worth getting _undressed_ for."

He grinned.

"So what do little tomboy witches dream of then?" he asked. "Hermione told us once that all little girls dream of their wedding day, but obviously that didn't include you."

"Well, it's not the _idea _of marriage that offends me. Marrying the person you love is wonderful, and a party after is fine, too. I guess it's just the ceremony. Inviting people you hardly know, dressing up in clothes you never wear…it seems unnatural somehow. Insincere, like it's a show for everyone else; just a production. It should be private and intimate, just between the people involved. Afterward, a celebration with close family and friends."

Harry smiled a bit wistfully. "That sounds perfect."

He watched her touch up her lipstick then ducked his head next to hers in the mirror. "That color looks much better on you than me," he commented, wiping her lip prints off his face.

Ginny chuckled. "Drat, I hoped you wouldn't notice and would go around all day with a dreamy expression and my lip signature in plain view."

"You enjoy making me look like an idiot, don't you." Harry raised an eyebrow at her reflection.

"_Idiot_ is such a strong word." She met his eyes in the mirror with a devilish gleam.

He licked his lips deliberately. "Mmm, where did you find lip stuff that tastes like treacle tart?"

"Merlin, Harry, you are going to give me nightmares," Ron's voice called from beyond the doorway. "The mental image of you trying on Ginny's lipstick is disturbing, to say the least." He poked his head cautiously around the door frame. Harry blasted him with a projection of his great-auntie Muriel, lips all a-pucker, glossy and gleaming. Ron staggered to his knees, hands to his temples. "Holy shit, Harry, what the bloody hell was that!"

"Sorry! I'm sorry, Ron!" Harry gasped, rushing to his side.

"Gotcha, you bastard." Ron smirked, cuffing him. "Now get your arse out to your seat!"

"Boys!" Ginny rolled her eyes. She turned back to the mirror, checking her hair.

Harry's glance lingered on her another long moment. His eyes narrowed and he went back to Ron's room, where he grabbed something from his trunk. He waved to Ron as he left the house and went through the portal yet again.

"Should have thought of this earlier," Harry muttered to himself, ducking behind a tree to don his Invisibility Cloak. He spent the next several minutes busily eavesdropping and spying on people as he wandered among the guests before going back to the Burrow to stalk Ginny some more. She nearly caught him once, whirling suspiciously with her wand drawn.

It was all he could do to keep himself from sweeping her under the cloak with him, just to make her squeal with surprise…. No, easier to restrain himself if he didn't continue with that particular line of thought. Later on though, the idea might have some intriguing possibilities. Along with the notion he'd been entertaining about a moonlit ride on his Firebolt….

"Safety first," he sternly reminded himself, resuming his anxious patrol. The music changed, and he noticed the atmosphere was now one of eager anticipation. He ducked back through the portal to wait with Ginny until her turn to emerge. He breathed a sigh of relief as she gracefully took Charlie's arm. He slid into his seat for a moment to reassure Hermione that he was, indeed, present. Several nervous minutes later, he was compelled to start patrolling again. He couldn't explain the feeling he had. It was fluttery and buzzing somehow. Not exactly nervous, but something was definitely off. He prowled around the guests, noticing the feeling became more uncomfortable around Fleur's relatives. He'd never seen so many gorgeous blondes in one place before. Not that he'd ever let Ginny catch him looking at veela. He was just thankful they didn't affect him the way they had at the…

He gasped as though doused in ice water. _Holy living bloody hell_! Scenes from the Quidditch World Cup flashed through his horrified mind. Males of all ages entranced and poised on the brink of committing atrocities; beautiful women transforming into hideous avian creatures, throwing fire, Ron's persistent slack-jawed expression around Fleur, regardless of exposure to her powers.

"Moody, where's Moody," Harry muttered desperately, scanning the crowd. "Tonks, Lupin, oh Merlin, where are they?" He didn't dare leave the scene of the perceived threat, yet he needed to get a message to as many Order members as possible. His watch! Swiftly he keyed in a message and sent it to everyone. He swore fluently under his breath, realizing Ron and Ginny could not possibly get the message standing in front of everyone. He debated the wisdom of sending a Patronus, but rejected the idea. "Shit, shit, shit," he despaired. "How the bloody hell do you fight veela?"

Less than half a minute later, music began playing, and Harry's heart sank as he watched fifty or more veela girls stand in unison and begin dancing. He brushed away the tendrils of mental infiltration he felt, easily resisting their Imperius-like pull. He glanced quickly at Fleur, whose horrified countenance confirmed the dance was not part of the ceremony, and began throwing hexes as fast as he could. Nothing seemed to even come close to hitting them and desperately Harry yelled "_MUFFLIATO_!" casting the spell around himself and the flock of veela, effectively trapping himself in with them.

Some of the men in the crowd, particularly the younger ones, had already succumbed to the veelas' hypnotic powers, and were dazedly throwing hexes randomly, striking anyone in their paths. The abrupt cessation of the song and dance routine only enraged them further, and Aurors quickly responded, stunning several of the aggressors. Meanwhile, the veela were getting irritable. Many of them had begun sprouting the tell-tale wings and beaks of their kind, and fireballs rained down amongst the guests. "_AGUAMENTI!_" Harry bellowed, hosing several of the fireballs before they could start a blaze.

Some of the veela had taken note of the direction his spells had come from, and were throwing fireballs with alarming accuracy, considering they couldn't see him. Harry's Quidditch skills served him well as he ducked and dodged. He _Imperviused_ his cloak, hoping against hope it would protect him from fire in case of a direct hit. He continued reapplying the Muffliato spell, as well as dousing the veela with water. Several of them completed their transformations and took to the air as the Aurors began to surround them. Their raucous screaming filled the air, and Harry cast a Patronus almost reflexively. His glowing, silver stag erupted into the air, scattering the flock of horrendously ugly birds.

Hermione had deduced Harry's location and quickly led a small group to his side, where they formed a flank around him, backing him up with their own Patronus spells. Ginny and Ron soon joined them, moving together in the back-to-back stance they'd practiced. Harry gasped in relief and yanked off his cloak, shoving it into a pocket of his robes. Hannah had accompanied Neville, and they formed a triangle with Luna. Ginny joined Harry, and Ron was backed by Hermione. Together, they cast Shield spells to protect bystanders from the hail of fire, while keeping their Patronuses in the sky.

Harry tried firing body-bind spells into the air, but accuracy was difficult with the swooping flock. _"ACCIO FIREBOLT!"_ he finally yelled in exasperation.

Aurors and Order members seemed to have the crowd control situation in hand. They had herded the spectators to a protective cove of trees, casting Shield and Impervius spells on the treetops. The portals had been sealed as soon as the bride had appeared, so no evacuation had been attempted. Mrs. Weasley was hurrying about, treating people for burns and various hexes.

Harry heard the rushing sound of his approaching broom, which he'd wisely hid by a nearby tree. Ginny laid her hand on his arm, her eyes pleading. "Let me come with you," she implored. "You know I'm a good flyer, we're a good team. Let me help, please."

"You wear this," he said tersely, whipping his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and wrapping it around her, casting the _Impervius_ spell on it again. He felt her straddle the broom in front of him, securely between his thighs. "Have your Patronuses herd them together and use Levicorpus on anyone, or any_thing_, that falls," he shouted to the others and commanded his broom skyward. Harry threw Shield spells in all directions while Ginny ruthlessly dropped the birds with Freezing and Stunning spells.

Lupin, Tonks, Fred and George soon joined them, swooping and diving, casting spells of their own. Moody, Kingsley and the rest of the Weasley men were busy on the ground, catching the falling veela and placing them in restraints.

"Are they _Imperiused_?" Ginny gasped between hexes, ducking a wild hex from Fred.

"Must be," Harry answered shortly, jerking the broom to the side, narrowly avoiding a fireball.

"Blast them!" Ginny said suddenly. "Project something!"

"Like what?" Harry ducked and shielded again.

"Dragons!" she screamed.

Harry threw another shield spell, then sounded a piercing whistle as he concentrated on projecting the vision of an enormous, gape-mouthed, fire-breathing Hungarian Horntail.

The whistle had caused the veela to pause, seeking the source of the noise. Stunned by the vision, most of them dropped like rocks out of the sky.

Then Harry vaguely realized that real dragons had appeared on the scene. Charlie was astride one of them, intent on eliminating the few remaining bird demons. "Oh, you meant _Charlie's_ dragons," he whispered. "I thought you meant for me to...well, whatever, it worked." He wrapped his arms around Ginny, resting his forehead on her shoulder with an exhausted groan.

"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah, just tired," he slurred slightly. "Wonder what's next. Merlin, don't let it be dementors…"

"Just rest," she said comfortingly, squeezing his thigh. "You've been amazing, now let me be the lookout for a bit while you catch your breath. You're not going to fall off the broom, are you?"

"No…" She felt most of his weight fall against her back.

"Shit, Harry, you've got to let me fly this now," she said urgently. "Or get us to the ground before you pass out. Harry! C'mon love," she pleaded.

"Ground," he mumbled, pitching against her again as the broom began to nose dive. Her scream brought him around, and he managed to land, collapsing as soon as his feet touched. Ginny hastily pulled the Invisibility Cloak off, shoving it back in the pocket of his robes.

"Harry! _Rennervate_! Hermione, help! I think he's hurt," Ginny sobbed.

Hermione had watched the perilous descent with her heart in her throat, too shocked to react. Ron and Neville had kept their wands trained on the broom, prepared to catch their friends. They all raced to Harry's side.

Hermione scanned him with her wand. "Magical exhaustion. We have to get him somewhere to get some rest." She conjured a stretcher and gently levitated Harry onto it. She and Ginny cast _Wingardium Leviosa_ on the stretcher and headed for the shielded copse.

"MUM!" Ginny cried, seeing her mother bustling about the makeshift hospital they had set up. Molly spun on her heel, racing to Harry's side. Hermione rushed back to Ron.

"Oh Ginny, what happened to him?" One hand stroked his forehead; the other grasped his wrist, checking his pulse.

"Magical exhaustion, Hermione said." Ginny held fast to him, willing some of her own magic to transfer to him.

"Thank Merlin," Molly sighed in relief. "He'll be fine, dear. He just needs to rest a bit."

"I'll stay with him," Ginny said. Molly nodded, and went back to assist with other injuries.

Aurors scouted the area, refusing to open the portals in case of an ambush on the other side.

"This location is unplottable," Arthur explained to Ginny when he hurriedly stopped by to check on Harry. "There will be no other threats from the outside. Only the things that came through the portal exist here, so we don't have to worry about dementors or Death Eaters. We knew of their veela relatives, of course, but veela aren't dark creatures, and they were family. We never suspected. We were lucky things were contained so quickly."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Ginny interrupted. "It was all Harry's doing. He sounded the alarm before the veela started dancing. My watch was flashing like crazy."

Harry stirred then, struggling to open his eyes. "Wedding done?" he fought to focus on Ginny's face for several moment.

"Yes, love," she soothed. "It's all over, they're married."

Harry muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "kiss the veela, blah blah blah..." as his eyes drifted shut again.

* * *

Voldemort was still reeling from the image of an enormous dragon crashing through his consciousness when Snape billowed into his chambers. 

"Master," he bowed, "you are distressed. May I offer a headache potion?"

Voldemort glowered at Snape, hissing evilly, "You presume much, Potions Master." He reached for his wand, but his movements were oddly sluggish. "Bring me more Strengthening Solution."

"With any luck, I have just seen Potter being eaten by a dragon," he murmured to the empty room.

Voldemort's wild high-pitched cackling echoed when Snape returned, placing a steaming goblet before the Dark Lord. He scowled, his neck muscles and his pride protesting the constant prostration.

"Your expression of revulsion can be attributed to the taste of the potion, I assume." The slithery voice carried a hint of derision.

"I assume the worthless whelp is causing you irritation yet again, my lord. I merely wished for the opportunity to kill the brat myself. However, I would never presume to encroach on your wishes, Master."

Voldemort gave Snape a thin-lipped smile. "I may have been somewhat…_selfish_ regarding my plans for Potter," he intoned. "In light of the most recent vision, I have reason to believe Potter has tangled with the business end of a large dragon. I do not begrudge the dragon the pleasure of killing him. If the vision is not to be believed, then I would not begrudge you that pleasure either." He waved his hand as if shooing a bothersome insect. "Take young Malfoy, let him practice casting the Killing Curse on Potter until he gets it right. If you give him a bit more incentive to die, so be it," he shrugged carelessly.

Snape bowed yet again, backing out of the room.

* * *

"Poor Bill and Fleur," Hermione commented as they sat near Harry's bed back at Order Headquarters. The group of teens had Portkeyed back as soon as French Aurors began pouring through the Delacour's portal. By the time reinforcements made it through the Burrow's side, many of the Order members had quietly disappeared as well. "They didn't even get to eat their wedding cake." 

"They'll just have to have some of your birthday cake instead."

"Birthday cake?" Harry gasped. "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days, mate," Ron said quietly. "You missed the full moon."

Harry closed his eyes, groaning. "What happened after…" he frowned, trying to remember if all the veela had fallen after his projection. His head throbbed, making concentration difficult.

Ron and Hermione filled him in. Thanks to his early warning, there had been a few serious injuries but no deaths. The veela had been Imperiused, almost certainly by Voldemort himself, as veela were thought to be immune to the curse.

"Oh bloody hell, I crash landed," he said worriedly, glancing around wildly. "Where's Ginny?"

"She's fine," Hermione soothed. "She just went to get some breakfast for you in case you woke up. I have to admit, Harry, I was worried when you took her with you, but having her help was a smart move."

"I nearly killed her crashing the broom." He covered his eyes, hearing her scream of fear echo through his mind.

"Only because you wouldn't let me fly the broom!" Ginny flounced into the room bearing a tray. "Bloody chauvinist backseat driver!" You probably did that on purpose, trying to scare me away from your little adventures, you great prat."

"Did it work?" he asked.

She cuffed him playfully and nudged him over so she could sit with him on the bed. "Off you toddle to the kitchen, now." She waved Ron and Hermione out the door. "I've got everything under control here. Winky has your breakfast ready."

Ron shook his head with amusement, capturing Hermione's hand on the way down the stairs. "Do you think we need to tell him about the werewolf attacks?" he asked. "You know he hates having things kept from him."

"Let's not mention it," Hermione sighed. "There's nothing anyone can do now, and not much anyone could have done that night, either."

Lupin had been devastated to hear about the multitude of planned werewolf attacks. Apparently the werewolves had taken Wolfsbane so they could keep their minds as they targeted certain people and families. Umbridge had immediately demanded legislation for the imprisonment of all known werewolves, and death penalties for any who resisted. Tonks glibly told Umbridge that the last place she'd seen Lupin was in France at a wedding and he'd mentioned going abroad. She told Umbridge he often Apparated to Hawaii to avoid the full moon entirely. "You see, he pops over there at sunset, and of course it's still morning there. He spends the day napping and comes back when the full moon is over," she'd said with a shrug.

Having made up the lie on the spot, Tonks wondered why Lupin didn't do exactly that. When she asked later, he frowned. "I've thought of it, but Apparating around the world once a month would be as exhausting as the transformation."

"A better kind of exhaustion, I would think."

"Perhaps, but you know the further the distance, the more likely you are to get Splinched," he said. "And even if I only jumped one or two time zones at a shot, I'd have to visit the place first, for reference. Getting there physically to set up safe Apparition points would require expensive planning.

"Still, it could be done?"

"Well, theoretically, yes. I would have to go backwards around the world, probably going from here to Greenland first, then across the States from New York to Los Angeles, then Hawaii. I could not make that trip in reverse, however, as I'd cross over the full moon. I'd have to continue west, probably through Australia, Singapore, India and parts of Africa before winding up back here again."

Tonks raised her eyebrows. "You've given this a lot of thought," she said.

"Of course. Don't you think I've tried to find any way to avoid transforming into a bloodthirsty threat to humanity every month? Yes, I've thought about it, but it's simply not feasible."

Tonks moved to rub the kinks out of his sore muscles. "Interesting idea, though."

* * *

Harry awoke the morning of his seventeenth birthday to a sensation that made him sure he was having one of his more vivid fantasies. "Holy living mother of Merlin," he gasped, shuddering, his fingers wound in Ginny's hair. She crept up his torso, snuggling next to him. 

"Happy Birthday," she grinned wickedly.


	20. Birthday Boy

Disclaimer: Never had it, never will.

A/N: Sorry, I struggled to make this chapter interesting, but it's mostly info that is leading up to other things, so...let's just say Harry wished for a rather uneventful birthday.

_**Birthday Boy  
**_

"Gin, why are your clothes in my trunk?" Harry questioned when he recognized some of her things alongside his t-shirts and jeans.

"Well, if Mum starts spending more time here, sooner or later she'll show up to make breakfast," Ginny explained. "I don't particularly relish the idea of the scene she'd make if she caught me sneaking out of your room wearing nothing but your t-shirt and a smile."

"Ah, good point," Harry said. "You should learn to Apparate. All in the interest of safety, of course." He pulled his clothes out of the trunk and headed for the shower, sending a smile over his shoulder at her on his way out.

When he came back to his room to throw his clothes in the hamper, Ginny had gone, but Ron seemed to be looking for something in their room.

"Say, Ron, is this what you need?" Harry handed him Sirius' book. Ron took it, glanced at the cover and gave Harry a look that clearly asked if Harry had received a blow to the head.

"No, I don't need your Arithmancy book." Ron handed it back.

Harry looked puzzled, but opened to a certain illustrated page and handed the book to him again. "Here, look at this."

Ron grabbed the book, glanced at the page and glared back at Harry. "Y'know, I don't really care how to make my own Arithmancy triangle block. Now, I'm looking for your sodding birthday present, so stop interrupting or I'll never find it." He turned back to his trunk, "I know I hid in a safe place…"

"_Odd_," Harry frowned. "_Perhaps he has to guess what it is first, like Neville did_." Thinking it probably wasn't important, he decided breakfast was in order. When Harry arrived in the kitchen, he found that Winky and Dobby had been busy decorating. There was a large banner that read "Happee Birdday Harry!"

Mrs. Weasley and Winky were happily working together at the stove, preparing breakfast. Harry was thankful Mrs. Weasley hadn't decided to surprise him with breakfast in bed. Evidently Winky hadn't said anything that would inspire her wrath, either.

As soon as she spotted him, Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, Harry, dear, it seems like just yesterday you were a sweet little eleven-year-old, wondering how to get onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters. And now you're all grown up." She sniffed. "We're so proud of you." She patted his cheek and smiled affectionately. "Do you know what Arthur did for _my_ last birthday?"

Harry smiled hesitantly and shook his head.

"He added you to our clock." Her eyes went misty as she brushed imaginary dust off his t-shirt. "Of course all of us are piled up on 'Mortal Peril' right now, so you're a bit buried under the rest."

Somehow, Harry rather enjoyed the thought of being unnoticed in a passel of family members.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at his delighted expression and ruffled his hair, though she had a bit of a stretch. She pulled a chair out for him at the table as Winky set a full plate on the table. "Here you are, dear, you need a good breakfast before a busy day."

Harry unrolled _The Prophet _with the intention of skimming it while he ate. His eyebrows nearly hit his hairline over the front page. **_"Boy-Who-Lived Comes of Age!"_**

"Spectacular," he groaned. Skimming the article, he saw that it contained the letter, written by Hermione and her father and signed by Harry, calling for the temporary lowering of the underage use of magic and Apparition, insisting on the use of Ministry resources to target unforgivable curses rather than underage ones. The article continued with a proclamation of Stan Shunpike's innocence and decried the Ministry's proclivity for throwing people in Azkaban without a trial. Sirius Black's name was mentioned as another example, with hopes his name would finally be cleared posthumously.

He sighed as he refolded the paper. Somehow he doubted he would be taken more seriously now that he was of age, but maybe public outcry would force the Ministry into action. He shrugged as he tucked into his bacon and eggs. The Ministry would not affect his actions, one way or the other. It would be better for the wizarding world in general, but he already had a mission and really couldn't spare time for politics. He wondered if his presence this morning at the Apparition License office was predictable. He would hate facing the inevitable throng of people if everyone could guess where to find him.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry interrupted her supervision of the self-stirring pancake batter.

"Yes, dear?"

"Is Mr. Weasley at work already? I wanted to ask him something." Harry's brow furrowed.

"No, he's still at the Burrow," Mrs. Weasley looked at him closely, the barest hint of a knowing smile tilting the corners of her lips. "He will be stopping in before work, though, I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"Hi Mum!" Ginny said as she entered the kitchen. "We were just wondering if you'd be spending more time here now the wedding's done." Her eyes twinkled as she caught Harry's eye. "Lucky Harry got Winky to come and save us all from starvation."

"Winky has done a marvelous job with the house," Mrs. Weasley commented, circumspectly observing the exchanges between her daughter and the boy she treated as her seventh son.

Ginny sat next to Harry and squeezed his knee, oblivious to her mother's sharp-eyed stare. Harry's cheeks had gone slightly pink, but he didn't push her hand away. Molly turned back to the stove, resolving to have a talk with her daughter later.

Fred and George came through the door next, throwing themselves into their seats and loudly wishing Harry a happy birthday.

"Now in the interest of preventing your birthday from becoming a fiasco like our attention-seeking prat of a little brother's, we present you with these:"

George handed him a bezoar. "Just in case," he said with a wink. "We weren't sure we could get away from the shop at tea time, so we brought your present now."

Fred gave him a large box, filled with things from their workshop. "Most of this stuff is straight from the workbench," he warned. "Prototypes, you know. Tested, but not thoroughly. Use at your own risk, but make sure you tell us what you think after."

Risking a sidelong glance at his mother, he whispered, "Bottle of Firewhisky at the bottom for later."

Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna meandered in, finding chairs and filling plates, offering birthday wishes.

"Welcome back, Neville." Harry smiled. "Have a good birthday yesterday?"

"Yeah," Neville grinned. "Made a good haul. Spent some time with Gran, and most of the day with Hannah. Thanks for the bonsai tree, by the way. I have something upstairs for you. I'll show you when you get back from Diagon Alley."

Harry nodded absently. "How is Hannah doing these days? Do you want invite her to spend some time here?"

Neville looked as though it was his birthday all over again.

"Tonks!" Harry called. "Quit snogging Uncle Moony in the hallway and get in here. Neville needs you to fetch Hannah."

The pink-faced, pink-haired Auror stumbled through the door. "How'd you know I was out there?"

"Heard you trip down that last step," Harry smirked "and we know who's always conveniently on hand to catch you."

Lupin followed her through the door, smiling complacently as he pulled her chair out for her. "I am fortunate to have been blessed with quick reflexes."

"Blessed with more than that, from what I've heard," Fred whispered as he nudged Harry, wiggling his eyebrows.

Harry gave him a look of disturbed disgust. Fred motioned him out to the hallway as they stood to put their dishes in the sink, then pulled him into the empty dining room.

"Seriously, mate, Bill says Greyback did him a favor. Apparently it's no mean feat keeping up with a veela's, ah, _appetites_. He said he would have preferred not being bitten in the face, but the after-effects have been worth it. And this is _Bill_ we're talking about." Fred just shook his head in wonder. "Untransformed werewolf saliva could be worth its weight in gold, mate. Think of the possibilities."

"What in the name of Merlin are you talking about?" Harry asked in the same low tone. "What happened to Bill with the full moon?"

Fred grinned evilly and cast _Muffliato_ before continuing. "Nothing _bad_. It's just that werewolf spit seems to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Not that any Weasley has ever needed that, but there's a definite market for it out there. We're thinking of expanding our product line to include some, ah, _medicinal_ potions and ointments."

"Why are you telling me this?" Harry asked, mystified.

"Do you think Lupin would be up for a little Marauder mischief?" Fred asked.

Harry just stared. "What are you talking about?"

"Be a bit ironic, wouldn't it? Poetic justice, really," Fred said idly.

Harry was regretting having a conversation with one twin. It was like carrying on a discussion with a third of it missing. Apparently George was the one who made sense.

"Lupin could have the satisfaction of knowing the people who used to spit at him are drinking his spit."

Harry wondered if Fred had sampled his birthday Firewhisky. He sighed and frowned. "So you want to hire Moony the Marauder as a consultant?"

"Do you think he'd help us out?" Fred asked. "As our major investor, we wanted to ask your opinion before bringing in someone else."

"Offer him a partnership," Harry suggested. "And if you get him to do this potion, patent it in his name, or an alias, if he prefers. I think if he could find a way to employ other werewolves, he'd agree to it. And if other werewolves had a way to support themselves and their families, they wouldn't have to join Greyback and Voldemort."

"Brilliant!" Fred was delighted.

"Just one condition," Harry's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "Put it in his contract. Lupin must devise an appropriate Marauder punishment for Umbridge. Preferably one that takes her out of office with her own laws. I had a dream the other night that she was a were-toad," Harry grinned malevolently.

Fred pretended to sniffle, then threw his arms around Harry. "I love you, man!"

"I don't swing that way, mate. Now, go talk to Lupin."

George joined them then. "Did you get things ironed out?" he asked, glancing around for eavesdroppers. "We decided it would be best if just one of us talked to you, Harry. Otherwise people think we're up to something, for some reason." He tried to look innocent and offended at the same time.

"Yes," Fred grinned. "He has some excellent ideas. If I didn't know better, I'd say he'd given this some prior consideration."

"I'll just fetch Lupin for you then, shall I?" Harry edged toward the door. "I need to find your dad."

"He's in the kitchen," George supplied helpfully. "Is this about that ring on Ginny's finger?"

Harry was stunned. "Erm, no, actually, I just wanted to ask about the Apparition office, and if it was advisable to go there today after the article in _The Prophet_," Harry said, brow furrowed. "Why would I need to ask your dad about giving Ginny a ring?"

The twins looked at each other in disbelief. "That's tradition, Harry, you have to ask the girl's father for permission before getting engaged."

"Engaged?" Harry's eyes went wide.

"Well, you're of age now, in wizarding society," George pointed out. "And Gin-Gin turns sixteen next month, which makes her marriageable age in Scotland. Being married would clear her to use magic outside of school, as well."

Harry was reeling. "I don't think…I've never...It's not…" Harry shook his head. "Hang on, you two thought we were engaged and you didn't try to kill me?"

"We're in the middle of a war," George shrugged. "People need to live life a little differently. She's talked about marrying you since she was five. 'Bout time you got on with it, far as we can tell. Better you than any of the other blokes she's dated."

"Um, yeah, well, I need to go soon, so you'd best chat with Lupin." Harry backed warily through the door.

He found Arthur in the kitchen, chatting with Lupin and Tonks. Mrs. Weasley was finally sitting down to her own breakfast as well.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Arthur beamed. "I understand there will be a small party this afternoon. We'd best get that Apparition test out of the way first thing."

"Actually, that's _exactly_ what I wanted to ask you about," Harry said, glancing at Mrs. Weasley. Was that disappointment on her face? "Oh, Professor Lupin, the twins want to talk to you in the dining room. Tonks too, I think."

Harry turned back to Mr. Weasley. "Do you think it's a good idea for me to go to the Ministry after the article? Is that too predictable?"

"We've arranged for a private exam for you, Ron and Neville, in the interest of security," Arthur smiled reassuringly.

"Oh, thanks," Harry said, relieved.

"Now, we have a question for you."

"Erm, yes sir?"

"About this new jewelry our daughter is sporting…"

"I'm sorry sir, it was my mum's," he broke in. "I just thought it was pretty, and that Ginny would like it." His ears were dark crimson now, he knew. "I had no idea it would turn into a promise ring."

Arthur smiled. "Well, someday when you want it to be a more permanent promise, it'll be fine with us," he winked.

Molly swatted Arthur's shoulder, "Don't pressure him, Arthur! He's got enough on his mind."

She gave Harry a smile and reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "We already love you like a son, Harry. We just want you to know how happy we are that you and Ginny are together."

Harry's shoulders drooped. "What if being together is putting her in more danger? Look at how often people around me get hurt…or die…because of me."

Mrs. Weasley squeezed his hand tighter. "You can't tuck people away and try to keep them safe while you go save the world. That isn't who they are. They need to help, and you need them. Love, loyalty, unity and hope are our best weapons in this fight. If you tried to leave us all and do it yourself to keep us safe, we'd lose. We need each other. No one can accomplish much alone."

She withdrew yarn and knitting needles from her pocket. "Let me show you something."

She cut a wand-length piece of string and gave it to him. "Take each end and pull as hard as you can."

Harry pulled and the yarn broke.

Mrs. Weasley swiftly charmed the needles to knit a small square, which she gave to him.

"Now pull that as hard as you can."

Harry pulled and the stitches stretched, but held.

"You see? Strength is cooperation and togetherness. This is a tightly-knit family you've become part of, and you can't ask us to take out your piece. Look at the damage that would do." She pulled the end string and the little square unraveled.

Mrs. Weasley patted his hand. "Harry, dear, why don't you run along and find Ron and Neville so you can go take your test. Lupin said you and he are going to spend some time in your vault? Are Ron and Neville staying to help you with that?"

"If they want," Harry answered rather faintly.

"I'm sure they will, dear," she smiled reassuringly. "We won't plan on you for lunch then."

Harry left the kitchen in a daze. He really expected a lecture on being too young for commitments and warnings to keep his hands to himself upon pain of death. _"Today has been so very odd. Maybe I'm dreaming. Wonder if Ginny would wake me up again…"_

* * *

Arthur and Lupin escorted the boys by Floo to a secure conference room at the Ministry. Lupin waited with them for the examiner while Arthur proceeded to his office. Lupin kept the boys amused with stories of his maraudering Hogwarts days until Mr. Twycross arrived. 

"Hello boys!" greeted the wispy examiner. "Who'd like to go first?"

* * *

All in all, it hadn't taken long at all for all three of them to pass their tests. Harry had offered to go first. Neville, heartened by Harry's apparent ease and Twycross' mild manner, relaxed enough to pop from one end of the room to the other, landing perfectly in his hoop. Ron stumbled just a bit as he landed, but it seemed to be due to his hands holding onto his eyebrows rather than any problem with the process. 

"Best to keep the arms at the side for balance," Twycross suggested.

"Yes, sir," Ron said meekly.

Harry quickly slipped under his Invisibility Cloak as they departed for Gringotts. As they crossed the busy streets, bound for the pure white building, Harry felt his scar twinge. _Odd_, _I thought Voldemort blocked that connection._ He waited for more reactions or a vision, but felt nothing, and wondered if he'd perhaps imagined it. Not for the first time, he wondered how to use the link. He idly thought about what kind of message he'd send if he could. Walking past a large, black dog on a leash made Harry's heart contract rather painfully, and he concentrated on using the emotion as a rather forceful projection of his godfather's Animagus form.

* * *

Voldemort was shaken out of a potion-induced slumber by the vivid image of a very large, menacing black Grim. The emotion accompanying the vision had been raw, painful and frightening. He stood and began to pace. His Occlumency shields had been well in place. He wondered if this was one of Potter's spurts of accidental idiocy as Snape seemed convinced, or something else entirely. Perhaps the boy was dreaming of his inevitable death. Voldemort's high-pitched cackle echoed in his bedchamber as he summoned Snape for more potions.

* * *

In Gringotts, Griphook commandeered a larger than usual cart for them to make the trip to the Potters' vault. They made a quick stop at the Longbottom vault where Neville retrieved his mother's old wand. 

In Harry's family's vault, Griphook assisted them in loading Harry's mother's trunk into the cart, along with the boxes of things that had been recovered from Godric's Hollow, and anything else that looked promising. Finally, having gathered up enough boxes and trunks to keep them busy for awhile, they shrunk them and put them in their knapsacks. Lily's Ministry trunk refused to shrink, however, and had to be carried.

"You lot hungry?" Ron asked, his stomach growling audibly. "Shall we do take-away or eat-in?"

"Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron," Harry muttered. "Tom's discreet. I think."

As they seated themselves at a table in a dimly lit corner, Lupin was wearing an expression of pure Marauder mischief. They ordered and were served within moments.

"I take it your little business dealings with the twins went well this morning?" Harry asked dryly after finishing his hamburger. "You've been overly chipper all day."

Lupin gave them a jaunty grin. "Yes, thank you, I have had a very good morning."

"Mine started out pretty well." Harry smiled vaguely, toying with the rest of his food.

"Are you _humming_?" Ron looked at him askance.

"Sorry," Harry sniggered. He glanced up at the door when he heard a chime, and demonstrated his first legal Apparition seconds later. Ron and Neville goggled at the sudden muffled pop that been preceded by the chink of Galleons hitting the table.

"What was that about? Where'd he go?" Neville queried, brows furrowed worriedly.

Lupin chuckled and pointed at a grumpy-looking dwarf determinedly approaching their table, wearing a loincloth and party hat and bearing a slice of cake.

Harry stood in the shadows of a tree in the park near Grimmauld Place, hoping dwarves weren't equipped with the same sort of navigational devices as house-elves. He slipped into the house and fiddled with his watch. He sent a message to Ron asking him to help Lupin with the trunk and apologizing for his abrupt departure, explaining he had developed a rather severe allergy to dwarves in costume. He hoisted the knapsack higher on his shoulder and started up the stairs and down the hall to his room. He paused, hearing Ginny's voice in the room she supposedly shared with Hermione.

"Mum, we aren't doing anything to need those spells!"

"Yet." Her mother's voice was suspicious.

Harry knew he ought to move quickly down the hall and barricade himself in his room, but curiosity kept him stock-still in front of the door.

"No, and probably not ever," Ginny said irritably. "You know Harry's got that nobility streak a mile wide."

"Please don't tell me _you've_ been pressuring _him_?" Mrs. Weasley's whisper resonated with shock and horror.

"Oh, mum, it's nothing like that!" Ginny huffed. "It's all silly fun and games. We both know the limits. You didn't raise me to be easy. And Harry, well, after living in a cupboard for ten years, he probably has a phobia of broom closets, so you needn't worry about improper behavior at school either."

"Still," her mum sounded relieved. "I need to show you these spells and talk about some personal things. Now, I didn't envision needing to have this talk until your wedding night, but…your father and I decided, in case something happens to us, we needed to have this little talk sooner."

Harry's shoulders slumped. Now he understood the conversation with the Weasley parents this morning. They gave him their blessing now in case they couldn't later.

He continued his stealthy path to his door, where he set down his knapsack and sat on his bed. He knew the girls had used the morning for a training session, and supposed he ought to spend some time in the War Room as well. He changed into cotton shorts, t-shirt and trainers, scooped up his knapsack and went to the library. The three Grangers, Tonks and Luna were there, poring over the books spread across the table, sharing tidbits of what they read and taking notes. Harry deposited the knapsack next to Hermione. "Exhibit A, for your perusal. I'm off for a bit of training. I'll be back."

"Oh, hi Harry." Hermione barely glanced up. "Moody and Flitwick should be there waiting for you. I'm sure Dobby will be able to find them for you if they aren't." She glanced towards the empty doorway. "Where are the others?"

"Oh, I popped back and left them to finish dessert." Harry shrugged. "Crookshanks need anything while I'm there?"

"No, he's fine." Hermione frowned at him. "You didn't find him a little friend, did you?"

Harry gave her a confused look. "Crookshanks has a little friend?" His eyes widened in horror. "It's not a tabby with squarish markings around her eyes, is it?"

Hermione glared at him.

"Well, I know we've said McGonagall was going to have kittens over some of the stunts we've pulled, but, just think, your cat could actually make it happen." Harry struggled to keep a straight face.

Hermione huffed, giving him a disgusted look, "No, it was not McGonagall, it was a Kneazle. And there are no students there, so I don't know where she came from. She wouldn't be Hagrid's, he's allergic."

Harry just shrugged. "Maybe Mrs. Figg was visiting McGonagall and brought one of hers along. I'll take a look, I'd definitely recognize any of her cats." He turned toward the door, then paused and turned back. "What does Flitwick want me for?"

"I think he had an idea for re-doing the Fidelius Charm here without taking the old one off first," Hermione answered vaguely, already immersed in her book again.

* * *

Ron and Neville entered the War Room half an hour later, watching as Moody dueled with Harry. 

"_DECIPIO NAVITAS INFITIALIS_!" Harry pointed at the ceiling rather than his opponent. A shimmering haze surrounded the two duelers.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron frowned.

"That's too long an incantation to work against Voldemort." Neville looked disapproving. "Better to use short, snappy ones."

"Too loud, too," Ron added. "Non-verbals are sneakier."

"What was it supposed to do?" Neville asked. "Just make a dome? Does it keep spells in or out?" He pointed his wand at Moody, sending a tickling hex in his general direction. The jet of light passed harmlessly right through the hazy walls. "Not out, apparently."

"_Calx_!" Harry threw a shield made of stone, which shattered with the impact of Moody's _Reductor_ curse.

_"Protego!"_ Harry's shield was up just in time to prevent him from sustaining injury from the flying stone shrapnel. He kept it up long enough to ward off Moody's next hex, which ricocheted back at Moody, who dodged. Ron and Neville ducked instinctively, expecting the curse to pass through the haze.

"Must keep the curses in," Ron noted, when no jet of light passed overhead.

"Ingenius!" Neville grinned excitedly. "We can shoot in to help him, but the spells can't leave the dome.

"_Stupefy_!" Ron aimed a Stunner at Moody. To his surprise, the wall seemed to absorb the spell.

"_Contrissssssto_!" Harry hissed, hitting Moody with a funny gray spell.

Moody seemed to droop a bit, but was still flinging Stunners at Harry, who ducked, dodged and shielded while shooting hexes of his own.

Moody's Stunners grew progressively lighter in color until they were pale pink.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_ Harry lazily flicked his wand and Moody dropped like a stone. He hastily dissipated the dome and Rennervated Moody, muttering other counter-curses under his breath. He glanced up at the applause from the sidelines.

"What the heck was that?" Neville asked. "My spell went right through it, but Ron's didn't."

"Er, it's a negative energy trap," Harry explained. "Keeps nasty stuff contained, and the walls are sustained by the energy of spells that hit it, so they don't ricochet around. Hermione made it up." He grinned. "Harmless spells can get through the mesh, but anything with a bit of power gets sucked into the wall itself. It's so I can get Voldemort into the trap, and even if I go down, someone else can keep him in, just by shooting Stunners at the dome. And the more magic he does to get out, the stronger the shield gets as well."

"That was a long incantation," Ron pointed out.

"Yeah, it's better nonverbally." Harry nodded. "Moody wanted to know what I was doing so he could help me improve."

The three boys observed the peg-legged, one-eyed Auror still out cold on the floor. "Looks like you've improved a bit, yeah?" Ron raised a brow.

Harry flushed, "Yeah, well, this is the third time, so the _Rennervates"--_he tapped Moody with his wand again--"are taking a bit longer to wake him up. Maybe you could help."

All three boys cast reviving spells on the older man, who finally groaned and began to stir.

"What was that last spell, Potter?" he asked gruffly, "The gray one."

"Oh, that was one of Hermione's creations," he answered. "How did it make you feel?"

"Like a dementor was breathing down my neck," he groaned, rolling his shoulders and rubbing his neck. "I'm too old for this," he muttered to himself.

Harry grinned. "Perfect. She'll be thrilled to know it works."

The boys did some light physical training and sparring before hitting the showers. Harry forgot his offer to check on Crookshanks, but when he thought of it later, he shrugged. He'd never met a cat more able to take care of himself.

"You know, we've really got to get to work on destroying those Horcruxes." Harry frowned at Hermione, who was coming out of the library as he passed by. "We can't just leave them at Hogwarts, in case Voldemort is trying to get them back."

"I'm getting there, Harry," Hermione sighed. "We've all just got so many irons in the fire right now. We need to make a list of priorities. First priority, though, is your birthday party," she said determinedly, steering him down towards the kitchen. "C'mon, presents!"

"I need to find Ginny," he protested.

"She's already down there, waiting for you."

"Uh, is there some kind of weirdness afoot? She's not going to jump out of the cake or something is she?"

"No! Of course not," Hermione sounded shocked.

"Just how many Weasleys are in the kitchen?" he asked suspiciously, thinking of Charlie and his determination to get his hands around Harry's throat.

"Oh, Harry," she groaned in exasperation, "Bill and Fleur are on their honeymoon, Percy's not here, of course, and I think the twins are still at the shop, but everyone else is here, waiting for you. Ron is probably starving, so you'll be lucky to have any cake left." She dragged him into the dining room, where everyone was already seated, as she'd predicted, waiting for his appearance. Immediately, Tonks started everyone in singing Happy Birthday.

Harry took his seat next to Ginny, nudging her and inclining his head toward Charlie and Luna, who were chatting with their heads bent close together. "What's going on there?"

Ginny smacked his leg under the table, "Nice to see you, too, sweetheart," she whispered dryly.

He flushed. "Sorry! I, uh, missed you very much today and thought about you constantly," he recited as if from a script.

Her hand had stayed on his thigh and crept to the inside of his knee. He narrowed his eyes at her as he removed her hand. "I know what your devious little plan is now, Red. You've got me to get rid of Riddle, and then your brothers to get rid of me, and you've got a clear shot at world domination. Very clever."

"Muhuhahaha," she chuckled evilly. "No, I'll keep you. You can be my flunky sidekick. Or…" she eyed him speculatively, "you might make a good slave."

Harry felt a little silly blowing out the candles on his cake, but he made a wish nonetheless. Mrs. Weasley cut the cake and passed Harry the first piece; chocolate with chocolate frosting. When they'd all eaten their fill, he opened his gifts.

Ginny presented him with new t-shirts that he knew she'd steal back later. Ron and Hermione gave him chocolate and defense books, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had found him a sticking charm kit for his glasses, to keep them from falling off or getting broken, Tonks and Lupin gave him a set of brass knuckles and throwing stars as a joke, and Luna gave him a jar of fireflies. Neville had several flowering plants he'd been growing for Harry to take to Godric's Hollow, to put on his parents' graves. Hagrid had sent owl treats for Hedwig and a box of rock cakes. Charlie gave him a book on Snaggletooth Sungliders.

"You need to prove yourself reliable, responsible and trustworthy before I can allow you to have something so special," he said meaningfully.

Harry raised a brow at him before glancing to Luna at Charlie's side, then raised his chin and defiantly met his gaze.

Charlie scowled at Harry's implication. Charlie and Luna had bumped into each other more often than could strictly be called coincidence in the past few days. At first, he' was simply courteous, politely answering her questions. At some point, her questions had turned into discussions, and before long, he started seeking out her company. Luna was blunt, and told him she fancied him. He brought up the age difference, but she'd shrugged.

"If I was 50 and you were 59, you think anyone would care about our ages then? Why should it matter now? Why not just see where it goes? If you drive me insane, it's be a moot point," she'd said matter-of-factly.

Harry idly watched his friends milling about, wondering how long birthday teas lasted. His thoughts kept drifting to his mother's trunk, as well as the other things they'd brought from the vault. The thought of going through his parents' things made his stomach twist uncomfortably. It felt intrusive; disturbing things they may have wanted kept private. He wondered if anyone would notice if he slipped up to the library to go through their things alone.

"Go ahead, Harry," Hermione murmured, having caught his glance at the stairs. "Go on up and get started. We'll join you after awhile."

When Ginny moved to follow, Hermione caught her wrist. "Just let him be for a bit. I think he needs some alone time."

Ginny scowled darkly.

"He'll want you up there soon," Hermione reassured her impatient friend. "He just needs a few minutes alone to collect himself. He's probably looking through his parents' things, to see if there is anything private or personal. He deserves that, don't you think?"

Ginny looked crestfallen. "I could help him."

"You will," Hermione smiled. "But remember, he's not great at dealing with his emotions, and today has probably had a lot of ups and downs for him. He _will_ want you with him, but if you leave him alone for a few minutes, it'll give him a chance to realize he's lonely."

"Why should I trust your advice on relationships?" Ginny turned to her skeptically.

"No, it's not relationship advice, it's just…he's Harry." Hermione frowned. "He's not hard for me to understand. Maybe because we both had rather lonely childhoods."

"Are you sure you only think of him as a brother?" Ginny looked closely at her friend.

"That's probably another reason he's easy for me to understand. No confusing emotions mucking things up." She watched Ginny's eyes trace the path Harry had taken up the stairs. "Just give him twenty minutes, okay?"

Ginny nodded shortly, turning back to the table to collect the plates to carry to the kitchen.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ginny walked into the library. Harry sat in the middle of stacks of parchment. He looked up when she walked in and gave her a small smile. 

"I'm glad you're here," he sighed. "I thought I wanted to do this alone, but…" He gestured helplessly to the stacks of documents and notes, "this is overwhelming."

"Damn Hermione. She was right again," Ginny muttered under her breath as she picked her way through the piles.


	21. Secrets of the Past

Disclaimer: No profit is being made from this story.

**_Secrets of the Past_**

Harry and his friends spent the next week and a half going through the contents of the boxes from the vault whenever they weren't training in the War Room. They revisited the contents of the small trunk from the Dursleys' house as well, looking for clues on how to open the trunk.

"There has to be some way to open it." Harry paced back and forth in front of the stubborn trunk. He closed his eyes, visualizing the latch opening, trying the Room of Requirement method. He opened his eyes and kicked the still-locked trunk.

"I've tried blood, sweat and tears," he grumbled. "What else is there? Chocolate?"

Lupin chuckled. "Your mum always was a stubborn one. This is just how James used to get when he was trying to get her to go out with him. I think he broke a toe on his trunk once."

The piles of documents and parchments had not yielded anything particularly useful. The trunk from the Dursleys' contained Muggle papers: James and Lily's marriage license, Harry's birth certificate, some photographs and personal correspondence. It was all interesting, but not terribly helpful, as far as Harry could tell.

The boxes from the Potters' vault had similar results. Besides various legal documents, genealogy information, old homework assignments and newspaper clippings, Harry found a diary of his mother's, and a packet of letters that seemed to be notes and cards from his parents to each other. He hadn't wanted to read those things; they seemed too personal. When the rest of the papers in the boxes did not reveal any method of opening the trunk, he reluctantly began reading the diary.

His nose had wrinkled in distaste when he read his mother's accounts of working with 'Severus' in Advanced Potions their sixth year. She had gotten along well with Snape, writing about him as if he was a good friend. She was sad for him, knowing how he struggled being a half-blood Slytherin, keeping his parentage a secret. She even knew that Severus taunted James. She overheard him once, sneering at James's inability to get a date with her. Snape had boasted of his extra study sessions with her with a particular stress on the word _study_, insinuating something more interesting than Potions might be occupying them.

"_I didn't bother correcting him. Maybe that'll take Potter down a peg or two_," Harry could almost feel the irritation through his mother's handwriting. _"Remus told The Git he was only succeeding in helping Severus earn my sympathies by tormenting him. Severus doesn't need my sympathies. He can handle himself. If I thought I could save him from the Dark Arts path he's following by dating him, I might consider it, but he's a Slytherin and I'm Muggle-born. He wouldn't date me for all the Galleons in Gringotts. He's a good friend, though. I wish I could help him. Too bad he wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw. His life could have been so much different..."_

Many months of entries later, Lily's tone shifted a little regarding James. Apparently he had changed over the summer holidays:

"_Potter asked me out again today. I should have kept count. He must think when he hits some magic number, I'll finally say yes. Maybe on April Fools' Day if he asks I'll accept, just to see the shock on his face. (Note to self: carry camera on 1 April). Actually, he seems a bit better this year. Maybe what he needed all along was responsibility. He's been doing well with his Head Boy duties..."_

* * *

"_James must finally be growing up. He gave Sirius detention for something he did to Severus. He's even stopped pestering me for a date. I can't believe how many girls try to come on to him to 'cure' him of his fixation with me! Right in front of me! Like it's some kind of illness they can fix by being slags..."_

* * *

"_Okay, today I hexed a Ravenclaw girl. I shouldn't have, but she was so annoying! She told James to give up on 'the ice princess' and meet her on the Astronomy tower for a warmer reception. 'Ice princess?'! She deserved that sweating hex, and I don't care if James did see me do it. Warmer reception, indeed. She'll be TOO warm for a good, long time..."_

* * *

"_It's only appropriate for the Head Boy and Girl to present a unified front, I suppose. When James asked if we should go together to present the jack 'o' lantern carving prizes, I'm sure he didn't mean 'together' as a couple. I agreed, but only because it's not like it's a date or anything. We'll just be handing out prizes..."_

* * *

"_The Halloween feast was fun. I realized I've never really spent time with James without his annoying friends around. Well, Remus isn't annoying, but the other two are. Especially Pettigrew. Merlin, he's creepy. I don't know if this is James' real personality, or if he took some kind of emotional maturity potion, but he was just…nice. Maybe that cocky arrogance he used to have so much of was just an act he put on for his friends..."_

* * *

"_I think Remus is finally wearing off on James. I saw him reading a BOOK! An Arithmancy book, no less! After the shock wore off, my respect for him may have gone up a notch..."_

* * *

"_James is turning into a regular bookworm. I'm amazed by his persistence with that Arithmancy book. He is utterly intrigued. He seemed a little embarrassed when I asked him about it, though. Maybe he was ashamed to be caught studying. One of the things that always irritated me about him was how he took his education for granted. A lot of pure-bloods do, I've noticed. Muggle-borns have to work harder to succeed and prove themselves. I suppose that's just a bit of jealousy on my part. James hardly seems to need to put any effort into his classwork, but I study like mad to get my marks. _

_I wonder if he was self-conscious because he needs some help with Arithmancy. It is one of my favorite subjects. I suppose I could offer..."_

* * *

"_James seemed delighted when I offered to help him study. I don't know what he was having trouble with exactly, as he seemed to catch on to everything very quickly. He wants to take me to the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer next weekend to thank me. It's not a date, though..."_

* * *

"_We had fun today! James can be really sweet when he wants to be. I wish…I don't know. I wish he didn't have such a playboy reputation, I guess. If I dated him, it'd look like he finally got what he wanted. And then I'd just be his next conquest. Just another statistic. I'm not going to be a notch on a bedpost..."_

* * *

_Remus assures me that James respects me for who I am. He seems to think that after almost 6 1/2 years, James would have given up if he was only looking for a casual physical relationship. It is true he could easily have that from more than half the girls in our year, not to mention the 6th years. Now there's a bunch of loose morals if I've ever seen them..."_

* * *

"_This is almost funny. Now that I might accept if James invited me out, he's stopped asking! I'm certainly not going to ask _him_. I'm not that kind of a girl..."_

* * *

"_Ha, Remus to the rescue again. Thank goodness he's a bit more perceptive than his mates. I think I got the point across. Now he just has to pass the hint along to James…"_

* * *

"_What was I saying about Remus being perceptive? SCRATCH THAT! I think the berk thought I was coming on to him. I swear, all I said was I was glad to see that his friends finally seemed to be following his good example, and they hadn't been nearly as annoying lately. Now, wouldn't you think he'd pass along that information to his mates? Particularly the one who has nearly driven me insane for the past 6 1/2 years asking me out on a daily basis? But no, now I seem to have acquired a 'moony' admirer. This was not what I had in mind..."_

* * *

"_Boys! I'd ask for a book to help understand them, but I don't think I want to! Turns out Remus was stalking me on James' orders. After I confronted Remus, asking why he kept following me, he confessed and apologized. One of my idiot friends was spreading the rumor that I was interested in someone, so James wanted Remus to find out. I think I rolled my eyes so hard they may have stuck. Anyway, I ended up asking Remus why James stopped asking me out. Remus said he had told James to stop, because I thought it was annoying, and I would never say yes to someone who annoyed me constantly. Now Remus has some kind of plan… Am I crazy?"_

* * *

"_Well, luckily the plan didn't involve me telling James the giant squid was unavailable to escort me to the Yule Ball. Remus' plan was pretty simple. He told James that I had lost a bet and had to accept the next guy who asked me. Who knew James could find a way to get up the girls' staircase, and so fast! That alone should make me suspicious. And how did he know exactly where to find me? It's like he has a map! But now I'm nervous. I don't know if the ball is the best way to get to know each other. I really don't want to quadruple date, and I'm sure that's their plan. Oh well, I guess we'll see what happens. I can always make some excuse and leave early..."_

* * *

"_I am reeling. James was wonderful. He was a perfect gentleman, and he dances like a dream. I thought we'd end up sitting at a big table with his friends and their dates, and the boys would be drinking and getting stupider by the minute. I don't know if he was coached or I just underestimated him, but he really pulled out all the stops. He was so sweet and seemed so sincere. I could almost, almost trust him. _

_He asked me if he could see me over the holidays, and I said yes. I hope I don't regret it..."_

* * *

"_James picked me up at my house for our first 'real' date. He was very nice to mum and dad. They really seemed to like him. We went to dinner and a movie. He kept bumping my hand in the popcorn, and it's so cliché, but it made me feel all tingly. When he walked me home, he offered me his arm. I could feel the muscles. At the door, he gave me a _hug_, and thanked me for letting him visit. I was a bit surprised, I must say. Usually guys go straight for the lips, and before you know it, they're trying to play tonsil hockey and reaching under your jumper. He didn't though. After I admitted having fun, and thanked him for the nice evening, he asked permission. 'May I?' he whispered. The look in his eyes, I couldn't have said no, even if I wanted to. Oh Merlin, those eyes. Hazel, with green and gold flecks... I can honestly say I've never been kissed like that before. My toes curled. I thought that only happened in stupid paperback romance novels. For some reason, my brain seems to have been Stupefied__. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. We're going out again before we go back to Hogwarts..."_

* * *

"_This is moving too fast. James gave me a ring. On our second date! He asked if we could date each other exclusively. He said he's never felt like this before, and he knows he doesn't want to date other people. I know he went out with a lot of girls in the past, but he's never gone on a second date with the same one, and he's certainly never given one a ring before. I asked. He apologized for rushing things, but he said this way, if I want to be discreet, I don't need to tell anyone where the ring came from, I can just say I got it for Christmas, and it'll be our little secret. He said he didn't want anyone to think he'd Imperiused me to bring about my change of heart. 'I do have honourable intentions, after all,' he said. Either he has truly changed, or I completely missed this side of him. I can't believe this is the same James Potter who used to drive me crazy. Though I get the feeling this one could drive me crazy in a whole new way…"_

* * *

Harry shut the book quietly. He and Ginny had been sitting on the couch together, and she had got sleepy. She was lying down, using his thigh as a pillow. He glanced at his watch. Midnight. Ginny was now officially sixteen. He carefully levitated her, just a bit, so he could move. He gently settled her back down and tucked a light blanket over her. He took his mum's diary and stepped into the Floo. "Number three, Godric's Hollow," he said quietly as the flames flared around him. 

Harry wandered around his parents' house. _"MY house,"_ he corrected himself. He had visited the house often late at night when he couldn't sleep. Molly and Arthur's frequent presence at Headquarters ensured that Ginny stayed in her own room most nights. Harry had lovingly fixed more of the walls and ceilings each time he came. He repaired furniture and moved things around. He experimented with color charms, painting the walls and covering scorch marks. The work was cleansing and freeing. He had never had the power to make decisions to affect his own environment or had anything to make his own. He had gone through the house, top to bottom, sometimes using magic, other times using Muggle methods to clean and restore. He carefully put his mother's diary on a bookshelf in the Potions room. Hermione had bound many of the documents they'd found into book form, and this particular shelf was full of his parents' saved homework assignments and old schoolbooks. Another shelf was filled with photo albums, personal letters and cards the girls had organized. The legal documents he had sent back to Gringotts with Bill.

"Winky?" he said.

_Pop._

"Yes, Master?"

"I wondered if you would be able to find me here. It's under a concealment charm."

"Winky does not need to know the place, Winky is bound to her master. She can find him anywhere," the little elf said adoringly.

"Brilliant." Harry smiled. "Could you stock the cooling cabinet and do whatever else you feel this house needs? I won't be living here, but I will be dropping in occasionally."

"Oh Master! Winky will have two houses to take care of?" she asked delightedly. "Oh thank you, Master! Thank you!"

"Could you whip up a quick snack?" Harry asked. "Today is Ginny's birthday, and I think I'll go get her. I was going to wait until later, but I'll wake her and ask if she wants to see the house now."

Winky nodded excitedly as Harry stepped back into the fireplace to Floo back to Headquarters. He had set up a direct Floo connection with Moody's help. It was not regulated by the Ministry, therefore quite private. It still wasn't his favorite method of travel, however.

"Ginny?" Harry nudged her. "Happy birthday, Gin, Want to see my latest project?"

"Mmmpffffff," she groaned, turning away from him.

"I'm going to have to do this the hard way, aren't I?" he sighed.

He scooped her up and carried her to the Floo. "Okay Gin, we're going to Number three, Godric's Hollow." He wondered how it would work to Floo a sleeping person to an address under a Fidelius Charm. He carefully positioned her so he wouldn't bang her head on anything, then threw the Floo powder.

"Home," he announced when they arrived and he stepped out of the Floo, Ginny still in his arms. "Yeah, I think this is what the feeling of being 'home' must be like. It's different than the 'at home' feeling of Hogwarts, or even the Burrow. This is…mine." He smiled at Ginny's sleeping form, realizing he was talking to himself.

"Master could cast a Rennervate spell to wake Miss Ginny," Winky suggested.

"Yeah, I know. I just like watching her sleep, knowing she's safe. Um, right, could you pop back to Headquarters with a note? Just in case someone notices we're gone." He quickly scribbled a note that Winky delivered.

Harry dropped to his knees next to the couch, leaning over her. "Gin, wake up, I don't want to Rennervate you, but I will if I have to." He frowned at her lack of response. "Or I could try another method…" He lightly kissed her temple. His tongue traced her ear and she squirmed in her sleep. He trailed kisses down her neck while his fingers danced across the smooth skin of her stomach, causing more involuntary squirming. She twitched, reaching for him as her eyes blinked groggily open. She froze, not recognizing her surroundings.

"Harry?" she asked hesitantly. "Is that you? You're not a Death Eater in disguise that kidnapped me, are you?"

"That wouldn't be much of a birthday surprise, now, would it? Not a pleasant one, at any rate."

She sat up and stretched. "Okay, I'm awake." She yawned and stood. "Are we at your house?"

"Yeah." Harry shrugged. "It was in pretty bad shape, ceilings and walls falling down all over, but I've been fixing it up nights, when I couldn't sleep."

"Give me a tour!"

Harry led her through the house, guiding her through each room, save one. She gestured at the last door upstairs. "Was that the nursery?"

He nodded. He hadn't done anything to that room. It was still a little weird being in there, knowing of the horrors that had transpired, yet feeling the vestiges of his mother's peace and love spells.

Ginny gave him a questioning look before reaching for the knob. He nodded, following her. She stopped in the middle of the room, closing her eyes with her head tilted back slightly. "Wow, you can feel that, can't you? I know mums put spells on cots, but it feels like your mum put it on the whole room. It's so peaceful."

She looked at him curiously then. "Will it be weird for you to live here, knowing what happened?"

"No, I don't remember it. I can feel that charm in here, and after being here several times, fixing things, I just get the feeling that I'm _home_, finally." As they left the room, Harry shut the door tightly behind him.

"Winky made us a little midnight birthday snack." Harry gestured down the stairs. "Shall we?"

In the kitchen, they found the small table set for two. The candles gave off a soft glow, making the simple fare of tea and biscuits seem special.

Harry put a narrow box with a bow on the table. Ginny's eyes sparkled with glee as she tore off the paper. She pulled off the lid and her forehead furrowed with confusion and she looked up to meet Harry's gaze.

"It was my mum's wand," he explained. "I want you to have it. Either carry it as a spare, or see how successful Neville's experiment is and have it fused to the bone in your arm. I hope it works for you."

Ginny stared at it in awe, touching it hesitantly. "This wand took down Voldemor once," she whispered.

Harry's brow creased in a frown. "I never thought of it that way."

"It was her, you know," Ginny said. "She used his vicious ambition and cruelty against him."

"The price was too high." Harry said, hoping Ginny had no illusions of sacrificing herself for him as his mother had.

"She wouldn't have done that ancient protective magic beforehand if she hadn't considered the possibility. I don't think it's that much of a reach for her to have considered what could happen that night. She had to know that Voldemort would find them, and when he did, they would stand and fight to protect you. She found and used ancient magic that allowed for your protection in the event she gave her life for yours. She stood her ground instead of running. She knew the spell would rebound on the caster." 

Harry's nostrils flared as he stood to pace the kitchen. His fists clenched at his sides and his voice was icy. "I wished so many times I'd never been born. They wouldn't have had to die. Why on earth would they have even wanted to bring a child into a world so full of evil? And knowing the dangers makes it even worse. They knew they could die…and leave me. And she chose…to go… They just…left me…alone." Harry turned away angrily, stalking to the den.

Harry stood silently, facing a window, glaring at his own reflection. He used the churning emotions within, harnessing the confusion and anger, the fear and despair, pushing them together into a roiling black ball in his mind before releasing it as a projection of pure energy, an image of his reflection as he saw it in the glass.

In the back of his mind he thought he heard the echo of a high-pitched shriek as his scar twinged. Exhausted, he absentmindedly rubbed his scar and focused on breathing. He closed his eyes and slumped down on the couch.

Ginny moved to sit next to him, tucking her legs underneath her. She reached for him, pulling his head to her heart. She rocked him, making soothing noises, rubbing his back softly.

"You know," she said slowly. "There's a saying, 'Making the decision to have a child is to forever have your heart walking around outside your body.' Isn't that funny? It's like a love Horcrux. There's only one way to expand your soul, and that's through love. The only way to create a soul is through love; creating new life. Children are hope for the future. Hope that one of them will find the answer to fixing all the problems out there. If we have no hope, we have no future. I think your parents made that choice, the same as mine."

Harry sighed. "They died fighting for what they believed in. And you're right, they probably made their own happiness by choosing to live their lives without letting Voldemort dictate their decisions. I just wish things had been different. But then I would be a different person, and you'd probably hate my hair and call me an arrogant git." 

"I would not," she denied, ruffling the back of his head.

Harry glanced at his watch. "We'd better get back to Headquarters before everyone thinks we've run off together." 

"That's a fun idea."

* * *

Sunshine streamed weakly through the spell-dimmed windows of Harry and Ron's room the next morning. 

The alarms on their watches sounded at the same time Mrs. Weasley poked her head through their door. "Rise and shine boys! Pancakes! And it's Ginny's birthday, Ron, so remember to wish her a happy day."

Ron groaned and pulled the pillow over his head.

"Why are you so tired?" Harry asked. "You and Hermione both went to bed early last night…" Harry stopped, blinking. "Yeah, anyway, breakfast." He dressed quickly and descended the stairs.

He'd spent several days thinking of a gift for Ginny. He didn't really count his mum's wand as a gift. He briefly considered jewelry, like a necklace or something, but he'd given her a ring recently, and he didn't want her to think that was the best his imagination could come up with. He had been informed that candy would not be the best choice either, as it wasn't very personal. He thought about getting her another pygmy puff to keep Arnold company, but in the end, he'd decided to get something she'd never seen before. He got Tonks to take him to Muggle London, where he'd purchased an electronic game system and some games to plug into the television. He had the twins enchant it to work on magic and asked them to bring it to the party following the Order meeting.

"We'll have much to discuss at the meeting tonight," Lupin said as Harry walked into the kitchen.

"Have Moody and McGonagall tracked down all Riddle's ancestors' graves?" Harry asked, after the usual 'good morning' greetings were exchanged.

"I assume that will be in their report," Lupin said.

"What about the dementors?" Harry looked to Hermione.

"Well, without having one to run tests on, we're rather limited to conjecture."

"Save it for the meeting." Tonks waved her hand through the conversation as though clearing smoke from the room. "Today is for fun."

Harry grinned. "Does that mean you're leading training today?"

"Yes, actually." She gave him a scheming look. "We'll be doing something exciting today."

"Bring it on," Harry taunted. "You're no match for Hermione's new spells. Is Uncle Moony going to join in?"

"No, I'm working with Fred and George today, sorry." Lupin turned a page in his _Prophet_.

Harry shrugged and turned his concentration back to his breakfast, pouring syrup over his pancakes.

Ginny walked in, sleep-rumpled and adorable. She smiled at the chorus of birthday greetings, and gave her mum a quick hug as she grabbed a plate from the counter. She neatly stacked two pancakes on her plate with a fried egg between before moving to the chair next to Harry. Surreptitiously, she licked syrup from her fingertip and traced a damp trail across the back of Harry's neck, making him squirm.

Ron meandered in, followed by Neville, Hannah and Luna, all wishing Ginny a happy birthday. Hermione's parents generally took their breakfast later, when the influx of teenagers had cleared out.

Harry put his plate and utensils in the sink and leaned back against the counter, waiting for the rest to finish.

Hermione joined him. "I have some new spells, but I don't know how to test them," she said. "Hypothetically, they should work against Voldemort."

"They're dangerous then, you're saying?" Ron queried, looking up from his plate.

"Well, one of them is a desiccation spell. I've researched the chemical composition of the things he used to regenerate his body, and one thing they all have in common is water. At first, I thought of a water purification spell, something that'd work like reverse osmosis, filtering all the components out of the water. That seemed a little backwards though, it'd be easier to simply extract the pure water."

"So, theoretically, he'd turn to powder?" Harry asked. "That still leaves his soul to escape."

"The twins are working on that part of the problem," Hermione sighed. "They watched _Ghostbusters_ last week and that ghost capture thing has them intrigued. The problem again is, no way to test it."

"How about the Hogwarts ghosts? They might volunteer to help," Harry suggested. "Or a boggart? There's one in a chest in the War Room. Or wait…could it be used on the Horcruxes? Testing and destruction all in one go?"

"Oh! Good idea! Why didn't I think of that?" she exclaimed excitedly.

"You all up for a trip to Godric's Hollow this afternoon?" Harry asked his friends. They all made sounds of agreement in various levels of anticipation, except Hermione, who frowned.

"I was going to work with the twins this afternoon," she said, disappointed.

"Lupin is going there this morning, just go with him," Harry suggested. "You can skip training for one day. It'll just be me hexing Tonks and Moody anyway."

"You sound like your father in his pre-Lily days," Lupin commented dryly.

Abashed, Harry flushed. "I was just…. I didn't mean…."

Tonks smacked Lupin's shoulder. "Let the boy have some self-confidence. If he's cocky, at least I'd have half a shot at beating him."

"Constant vigilance." Lupin raised his brows.

Tonks sniggered, "Moody won't go up against him alone anymore. He mentioned bringing Kingsley along this morning, too."

"Well, Moody's hardly a fair fight." Harry said. "He's good and all, but I have kind of an advantage, y'know, having both legs and eyes. I don't want to hurt him too badly."

Tonks left the group to get ready, and a few minutes later the group made their way to the War Room.

Harry had his wand in his hand, luckily, and threw a Shield as soon as he saw the flash of Spellfire. He whirled to face his attacker. The sallow, gaunt face of Bellatrix LeStrange grinned at him, black eyes glowing with malice. Ice seemed to have formed in the pit of stomach, but Harry threw a Stunner, which she blocked with a bark of laughter, throwing several hexes in rapid succession. Harry blocked and dodged the jets of light, but his heart sank when he saw Lucius Malfoy and another Death Eater approaching from either side. He whirled, uttering the incantation to create the dome shield to trap all three Death Eaters in with him.

"_Calx_!" he muttered, dropping behind the stone shield. "_Protego_!" He was already behind his own shield when Bellatrix shattered the stone, which exploded, hailing the three Death Eaters with shrapnel.

"_Stupefy_," he hissed. "_Petrificus Totalus_." He saw a jet of light coming from his left and instinctively threw his hand out, "_Protego,Tarantallegra, Diffindo_." He managed to hit Lucius with the cutting hex in the shoulder, effectively disabling his wand arm. "_Stupefy, Accio_ wand." Harry's left hand was still maintaining a Shield charm, blocking curses from the other Death Eater. A _"Levicorpus_!" had the man dangling upside down. "_Expelliarmus_, _Stupefy!_"

Bellatrix had been trying to sneak behind him, Disillusioned. "_Aguamenti_!" He sprayed water until he saw the displacement that gave her position away. Rage bubbled through him. "_Contrisssssssto_," he hissed the depression-inducing, energy draining spell in Parseltongue. "_Transfero_." He tried the new curse that should funnel her magical energy into one of the pieces of rubble on the floor. Bellatrix shot a few more hexes at him, but the color faded with each attempt. "_Expelliarmus_," he said coldly, catching her wand while pointing his own at her chest. He froze then, noticing her hair had gone from lank, black strands to mousy-brown waves. "Shit! Tonks, what the hell were you thinking?" He handed her wand back. "_Transfero_!" He drained the energy from the stone back into her through her wand. "And I suppose these two are Kingsley and Moody on Polyjuice?" He worriedly dispelled his domed shield and lowered the dangling, purple-faced "Death Eater" to the ground.

"Sodding gits," Harry growled. "_Episkey_," he said over and over, doing his best to heal the worst of the cuts. "_Tergeo_," cleaned away some of the blood. "Somebody fetch Madam Pomfrey!" he yelled, worriedly checking pulses.

"Are you sure they aren't Death Eaters?" Ron looked suspiciously at the two men, who had yet to awaken from the Stunners Harry had hit them with.

"How would Death Eaters have gotten in? If they had, there'd have been more than three, and they'd have tried to hit me with worse than Stunners. I'm sure they thought they'd teach us a lesson, the bloody bastards." He swore some more under his breath, anxiously waiting for Madam Pomfrey to appear. "I imagine they got hair from Lucius and this bloke in Azkaban."

"Maybe we should bind them, just in case." Ron frowned. "_Incarcerous_."

"Harry, how did you do magic with both hands?" Neville asked. "You worked a Shield charm with your left hand while using your wand with your right."

Harry just blinked at him in surprise, "I don't know, I've never done that before. I guess it just happened." He tried again, but it didn't work. "Guess it isn't something I should depend on. Must have been the extra adrenalin."

Ginny returned with Madam Pomfrey on the run, who checked a very groggy Tonks.

"Lupin's going to hex me into next week," Harry worried. "Why didn't I realize it was her in disguise? And why the bloody hell would she pick _that_ disguise? She's lucky Neville didn't get hold of her."

Ginny was furious. "What the hell did you think you were doing with that dome, keeping us out so we couldn't help you?" she snapped. "That damned saving people thing of yours is going to get you killed. And if you pull that stunt again, I'll…I don't even know, but you'll regret it." She took a shuddery breath.

Harry glanced at her, noticing her red-rimmed eyes and hastily dried cheeks. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, cringing inwardly at having infuriated her, on her birthday no less.

Madam Pomfrey finished her work, administering healing spells where necessary. "They're all fine." she looked at the students disapprovingly. "However, in the future, I want to be informed when you plan these dangerous training sessions." She glared once again at Tonks, who was too exhausted to argue.

"Blimey, Harry," Tonks said weakly after Madam Pomfrey had gone. "I guess it's been awhile since I dueled with you." Tonks had primarily worked with the girls during their training sessions.

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously. "And are these two really Kingsley and Moody?"

"Yeah, but don't you dare untie them," she gave a half-hearted grin. "Too bad we can't make this place look like Azkaban, with a dementor or two, just for kicks."

"What's the spell to conjure a cell?" Harry asked, relieved to hear her trying to make a joke. "There's a boggart in that chest over there. He'll make a spiffy dementor."

"Ginny had a good point. What were you thinking, Harry?" Neville asked, scowling. Hannah's hand reached for his. He and the others had been frantic watching Harry battle the two men, seeing Bellatrix Disillusion herself to sneak behind him. "Harry, if those were real Death Eaters, they would have been using Unforgiveables. You cannot use that dome thing like that and leave us all out here, making us watch. That was horrible."

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again." Harry sighed. "Everything happened so fast, I wasn't really thinking."

"We are capable of helping," Ron said quietly. "That is why we're in here training with you, you know."

"I know, it was really stupid," Harry hung his head. "It was just sort of an instinctive reaction. Good thing they did it, though, so I know better than to do that in a real situation."

"Good." Ron nodded.

Suddenly his eyes sparkled and he grinned. "Holy Hecate, Harry, do you realize you just beat the bogies out of three Ministry Aurors?"


	22. Sweet Sixteen

Disclaimer: JKR beats KFC, but I own rights to neither one.

_**Sweet Sixteen**_

The sun dropped in the sky while the eight teenagers, chaperoned by Tonks and Mrs. Weasley, returned from Godric's Hollow. Winky had been in her element, playing miniature hostess for Ginny's birthday party. Dobby had popped in before mentioning a need to return to follow a cat. Hermione's cheeks went pink when Harry caught her eye.

"You asked Dobby to tail your cat?" he asked, amused.

"No, no, it's not like that, really," she said defensively. "I think there is something suspicious about this other cat. I know Kneazles are exceptional at sniffing out unsavory characters, so I shouldn't be concerned, but what if it has something to do with that brush of his they stole from my parents' house? What if they used his hair to make a love potion for that girl cat? Poor Crookshanks is lonely, he might get attached to her if she's friendly, and they could lure him out with her."

"Or maybe..." Harry grinned. "It's a Death Eater who has been transfigured into a girl cat. Maybe it's Malfoy."

"Oh Merlin, Harry, that's brilliant!" Ron snorted with laughter. "I've got to learn a spell to do that. From now on, any Death Eaters we run across will be turned into cats."

"Not a good idea," Harry shook his head, "you know how fast cats reproduce. We'd be up to our necks in evil kitties in no time."

Hermione did not look amused.

* * *

The Order meeting began promptly at 6:00 p.m. Professor McGonagall asked for progress reports. 

Moody began, stating all Riddle and Gaunt graves had been secured.

George reported progress with their soul trap idea. They had heard the superstition some tribes had of cameras stealing a person's soul, and after seeing _Ghostbusters_, they were convinced they could build something that would combine those ideas to accomplish the feat.

"Imagine Colin in possession of a camera like that," Ron whispered to Harry. "He could be a Dork Lord."

"What is the situation with the dementors?" McGonagall addressed Mr. Weasley.

"Well, the dreary fog has dissipated, which means their breeding season is over." He rubbed the back of his neck agitatedly. "However, we don't know how to destroy them. Any attempt would mean getting too close."

"How about using Muggle methods?" Hermione asked. "There are several long-range weapons we could try."

"What did you have in mind?"

"If they're out in the open, we could use an aeroplane to spray them with something, some kind of potion," Hermione said. "We know the Patronus charm is the only thing that repels them, so we could see what happens if they're doused with Euphoria potion. If that doesn't work, we can always try a Muggle drug, some kind of amphetamine or antidepressant, probably. I've wondered what salt water would do to them as well, since salt is supposed to ward against evil spirits."

"How about nitrous oxide?" Hermione's mother suggested. "We could use solutions of hydroxylamine hydrochloride and sodium nitrite to produce it. If the nitrite is added to the hydroxylamine solution, the gas produced is pure enough for inhalation, and the only remaining byproduct is salt water."

"Laughing gas," exclaimed Hermione, probably the only one in the room besides her father to comprehend. "Perfect! The process of making nitrous oxide leaves salt water as a byproduct. We can dump the two parts on them and see what happens when they combine."

Mr. Weasley looked gleeful at the prospect of using a Muggle aeroplane. He looked to Tonks and Kingsley. "Is this something the Minister needs to organize through the Other Minister?"

"Actually, these are small aeroplanes and pilots that can be leased," Hermione's father informed them. "I have an client who could help."

Arthur's expression had gone rapturous. "I volunteer to ride along to spot the dementors, as Muggles cannot see them."

"Next topic: Severus Snape," McGonagall intoned.

Kingsley sighed. "There has been no sign of him anywhere near Hogwarts, or his home. It is recommended that we take him alive. His Animagus form is rumoured to be a bat. He's unregistered, however, so that is not confirmed. The Fidelius Charm has been redone here at Headquarters, so he would not be allowed admittance; however, it is not wise to underestimate him. Any time you leave this place, be aware of the possibilities. For example, I am not aware of any wards that prohibit him from skulking around Hogwarts grounds." He eyed the teens meaningfully.

Ron scribbled Hermione a note: "_Teach Crookshanks to catch bats."_

Lupin spoke up quietly. "I used a Pensieve to view Harry's memory of the events…that night." He took a fortifying breath. "Dumbledore said, 'Please, Severus,' just before Snape used the Killing Curse. Dumbledore would never beg for his life, so what was he asking for? I would like to make the same request as Kingsley, that he be taken alive."

In the hush that followed, Tonks gave her report on the new weapons Aurors had been learning to use. "The dart guns are a huge success." She nodded at the twins, who had developed them. "We can immobilize Death Eaters from a far greater distance than we could previously with wands." She looked to Hermione. "Is this laughing gas stuff something we could use on oncoming hordes of giants, vampires and Death Eaters?"

"Yes, I believe so. Werewoves as well. The dosage would be the issue, but since none of them would have an opportunity to sue for malpractice…" She shrugged.

Hermoine's mother spoke up again. "Nitrous oxide can cause euphoria, dizziness, and, in some cases, slight hallucinations and mild aphrodisiac effect. It can also result in nausea or lingering dizziness if too much is inhaled in too short a time. Since nitrous oxide can cause dissociation and temporary loss of motor control, it is unsafe to inhale while standing up. Death can result if it is inhaled in such a way that not enough oxygen is breathed in. It is also teratogenic and foetotoxic."

All eyes swiveled to Hermione for translation. "Nitrous oxide can be deadly if used incorrectly. It also causes severe birth defects and possible fetal death."

"So it should take care of the problem of breeding dementors, besides knocking out anyone who breathes it in, good or bad, and is generally non-lethal," Harry clarified. "So any prisoners or 'friendlies' who might be in the way would be alright. We'd just have to clean up the bad guys before they came to."

"Yes, though we won't know until we try."

McGonagall addressed the twins next. "Any development on a counter to the Cruciatus Curse?"

"We have done some research on Muggle steroids," Fred spoke up. "And they do dull the pain, but do not eliminate it entirely. Shield charms are useless, as are pain relieving potions."

"Too bad long-term use of Muggle steroids is unhealthy," George continued. "Or we could simply use those."

"In the short term," Fred beamed, baring a bicep. "I am now the more muscular twin."

"How about methadone?" Hermione's father asked. "It's a drug that blocks pain, but is not addictive like morphine, and has less side effects than steroids."

"I'll test it," Neville volunteered grimly.

McGonagall frowned, but finally nodded assent.

Harry glanced at his watch. Ginny's hand was pointed at "School." He wondered if she might have gone to visit Crookshanks, and suddenly his and Ron's comments about the stray Kneazle weren't so funny. He furtively sent her a quick message to beware Crookshanks' girlfriend.

Harry only had half his mind on the meeting after that. He kept an anxious eye on his watch. As the meeting dragged on, he idly wondered where he had to be for his hand to point to "Home." "_Maybe I should take that blasted trunk to the house and work on it. The location might be important. Yeah, and maybe it has to be opened at the stroke of midnight, naked,"_ he thought. "_That's about the only thing I haven't tried."_ He smiled inwardly, thinking he should ask Ginny what she thought of that idea.

Distractedly, he glanced at his watch again, and his heart skipped a beat when Ginny's hand pointed to "Hospital." He immediately checked his messages. Thankfully there was one from Ginny. She was visiting Madam Pomfrey about the wand experiment. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

He heard Ron do the same, and noticed McGonagall seemed to be wrapping up the meeting. Mrs. Weasley invited everyone to stay for cake and ice cream to celebrate Ginny's birthday.

"Harry, dear, would you go get her and Luna while we clean up in here?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Hermione, would you help me get the cake and ice cream from the kitchen?"

Harry looked pointedly at the twins, who waved wildly at a large, wrapped box in the corner, flashing him huge grins and thumbs-up gestures. He grinned back at them and left to find the girls. He could've used his watch to send a message, but he felt like stretching his legs after sitting through the long meeting.

He went through the cabinet and made a beeline for the Hogwarts hospital wing, keeping an eye open for Crookshanks or his companion. He literally ran into Ginny when she came barreling excitedly around a corner, nearly knocking him off his feet as he caught her.

"Harry!" she gasped. "Oh, Harry, watch this!" She handed him her wand, and with a flourish of her hand and a muttered incantation, she produced a small flock of canaries. "It works! It'll take some practice to get used to, but Madam Pomfrey fused it right to the bone in my arm, so I can't lose it if I get hit by _Expelliarmus_ or _Accio_ wand spells. And it seems to make my spells stronger when I use my wand in the same hand."

"Brilliant!" He twirled her. Her arms encircled his neck and she pushed him up against the wall when her feet touched ground again.

"Now I've got you where I want you…" She licked her lips wickedly, opening the door to a broom cupboard conveniently nearby.

Harry raised a brow. "I'm supposed to be bringing you back for your birthday cake and ice cream. I think the Order members, being the observant type, might notice if you look all rumpled and snogged."

"Party pooper," she huffed. "Just wait until we're alone, I'll show you just what I want for my birthday."

"Are you two talking about sex?" Luna asked interestedly, suddenly from around a corner. She smiled dreamily. "Sex is good."

Ginny stopped in her tracks, staring at Luna's unconcerned profile.

"Cake," she took a fortifying breath. "Cake and ice cream," she tugged at Harry's hand. "C'mon, I need to freeze my brain awhile to recover from that."

* * *

Ginny was delighted with her new Nintendo 64, once Harry explained what it was. The twins happily demonstrated, playing Super Mario in 3D. They jumped and leaned with the controller in unison, even though only one of them was playing. They hurled encouragement and insults, trying to assist the colorful character on the screen. 

"Hey, is that Colin? That guy with the camera in the cloud?" Ginny asked. "And Mario has to go in through a painting? Was the guy who made this a Gryffindor? It's not the Fat Lady, but how else would they know to put a door through a painting?"

"I told you to _jump_ you lazy git!" Fred exclaimed, as Mario fell into a pit.

"Ha! Go! Pick him up and throw him! Ah, get the magic star! YES!" George whooped during his turn. He played a few more minutes before Mario met an untimely demise.

George's shriek was enough to bring the remaining Order members running. Once they realized there was no real emergency, Mr. Weasley was fascinated. Harry offered him a turn, and Mr. Weasley took the controller with a look of reverence. "Bless you, my son."

He played for several minutes before regretfully handing the controller to Ginny, who grinned. "Mum! Here, you try it!"

Mrs. Weasley appeared flustered, but caught on to the controller quickly enough and was soon engaged in a vigorous battle. The teens decided a contest between the Weasley parents was in order. Mrs. Weasley fought dirty, nudging her husband's elbow at crucial moments, causing Mario to lose a life. "Ha!" she said triumphantly, "My turn again!" Her eyes narrowed in concentration and determination as she guided Mario through a series of complicated moves, collecting coins and stars.

"My turn!" Tonks waved her hand. 

"Here you are, Princess Peach. Show us what an Auror can do."

Tonks was cool and collected as she directed her Mario farther in the game than anyone before finally losing him off a canyon ledge. She shrugged and buffed her fingernails on her shirt. "Muggle cousins used to take me to the arcade." She winked at Harry and handed the controller to Professor McGonagall.

* * *

"You never mentioned you liked Muggle games," Lupin said later when they were alone. 

"Morphing is the talent that tends to take precedence."

He huffed in amusement. "I have thought of one thing you could morph for me," he grinned suggestively, pulling his shirt over his head. "Could you make your nails just a little longer and scratch my back?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, smiling as he turned his back to her. She expertly raked her nails down his back, smirking as he involuntarily arched and pulled his shoulders up in a shiver. She continued until his pale skin was criss-crossed with faint red streaks. He made a disappointed noise when she stopped.

"Oh quit complaining, your back looks like you've been attacked by a pack of Kneazles," Tonks said. "Or ravished by a flock of Veela."

Lupin twisted quickly, pinning her to the mattress. "You think that's funny? Being ravished by Veela?"

"Is that another occupational hazard of being a werewolf?" Tonks asked cheekily.

"Definitely," Lupin nodded seriously. "Veela are drawn to werewolves. You don't know how many narrow escapes I've had."

Tonks flipped him over, sitting on his stomach. She morphed her hair long and silvery-blonde, altering her features to look Veela-like. "You only thought you could escape me..." Her voice was low and husky.

"I am fortunate that you were persistent in your pursuit," he agreed, closing his eyes.

"Now what is the point of me looking like a Veela if you shut your eyes?" Tonks scolded.

"You don't need to look like a Veela."

"I've never met a man without a Veela fantasy." She shook her head, morphing back to her natural state. "Not that I've ever offered to fulfill one before," she amended hastily. "That was usually my 'test' of a relationship. If the bloke preferred or requested the Veela look, I knew it wasn't really me he was after."

Lupin frowned. "So I passed your test?"

"I wasn't testing you," she pouted. "I just thought you'd enjoy it. I don't want you to get bored."

He chuckled. "Nymphadora, we could be together the next hundred years, and I'd never get bored. Even if you never morphed again."

"Really? The next hundred years?" she asked wistfully.

Lupin moved her off him and went to his desk. He brought out a tiny velvet box, returning to drop to one knee at the side of the bed. "Nymphadora Tonks, I know you deserve better, but I have got very selfish of late, and can no longer fathom the idea of letting you go. Would you please marry me?"

Tonks' eyes were like saucers. She held her left hand out to him, and he slid the ring on her finger. A brilliant pink flash lit up the room, and gold strands of light encircled their hands.

"Oh Remus..." She sniffed, her arms encircling his neck.

"Is that a 'yes'?"

"Of course it's a yes, you prat! I thought you'd never ask. What changed your mind?"

"You wore me down." He grinned as her lips crashed against his.

She pulled away, eyes dancing with excitement. "Where? When? How are we going to do this? Is it illegal?"

"Harry had an idea. We can simply do it the Muggle way, in your family's church. That also answers the 'where' question, I believe."

"Oh! Brilliant! Dad and Grandmum will love that!"

"As for 'when,' that is entirely up to you."

"How about a week from this Saturday?" she suggested.

"Er… Are we in a rush?"

"I don't want to give you time to get cold feet and change your mind."

Lupin glanced at the calendar and frowned. "That won't work. That's too close to the full moon."

"I know," she said, dousing the lights with her wand. "But I have plans for the honeymoon."

* * *

Days passed, and the excitement of a new engagement and wedding plans disrupted the usual routine, except for Hermione, who had become even more frantic trying to devise a foolproof method of defeating Voldemort. 

"This is impossible!" Hermione snapped, frustrated. She and the twins had gone to Hogwarts' library for the afternoon. "Cameras capture an imprint of a person's personality, which is linked directly to the soul. What do we need to add to get it to suck the soul out?"

"Essence of dementor?" Fred suggested.

"Cry of Mandrake?" George mused.

Hermione shot them a withering look. "How would you procure either of those things and manage to put it in a camera? A screaming Mandrake would drop everyone within hearing range, and essence of dementor? Is there such a thing?"

"Well, Harry could do that Muffliato spell with a Mandrake. He'd have to wear earplugs though. Probably not the best way to duel Voldemort."

"What else steals souls?" Hermione frowned deeply. "I don't think this camera thing will work. It's not very prudent to be hauling a camera around. They're too breakable. And too dangerous, if we actually made one work."

"Tribes in the jungles of Africa believe a crawling child can absorb a spirit." Fred pointed to a line in a book. "That doesn't seem quite the idea we are going for, though."

"Don't s'pose Harry could just _'Accio dirty soul_' into a phial, like a genie." George sighed, thumbing through another book.

"Merlin save the nutter who tries to get three wishes out of that lamp later." Fred made a face.

Hermione gave another venomous look as she flipped a page in her book. "We can't depend on Harry to capture the soul," she said quietly. "It has to be self-activated, or remote operated."

"Whatdya mean?"

"He's going to use an energy dome," Hermione explained. "It'll trap him and Voldemort in together. I've given him some spells that should be effective against Voldemort, but this is _Voldemort_ we're talking about. Harry wanted the dome designed very specifically," Hermione's shoulders drooped. "So that even if something…happens to him, the dome will stay active, and Voldemort will be contained."

"What if he gets badly injured and we can't get in to help him?" Fred asked.

"Well, small spells can get through," Hermione hedged. "There are some gaps, but it catches anything with substantial power. We can send small healing spells through, and he will be carrying phials of first aid potions."

"So we try distract Voldemort with a tickling spell keep him from finishing Harry off?" George was incredulous.

"No." Hermione scowled. "We do everything we can to give Harry a shot at ridding the world of Voldemort, one way or another, with a contingency plan in place."

"Regardless of the cost."

"I didn't agree with it either. But he was determined that he should be the only one to make that sacrifice, if it comes to that. We just have to prepare him to win." She straightened, picking up a book on Native American spells.

* * *

"Mum!" Ginny hissed. "We're going to plant flowers on his parents' graves; do you really think we need a chaperon?" 

"No, dear, I just don't want you traipsing about the country alone. It's not safe!"

"Well, we might as well make it a party then, and invite everyone to go." Ginny scowled. "So much for allowing him his private grief."

Mrs. Weasley's lips tightened. "You will watch your tone, young lady. A group would be safer, but Neville, Ron and Professor Lupin are working with Hannah, getting her caught up on training and schoolwork. Tonks is at the Ministry today, and Luna is…"

"Luna is off alone with Charlie, I'd wager." Ginny gave her mum an accusing look, then glanced down at her watch. "Mum, come on, Harry has the house, grounds and graveyard under the Fidelius. It's perfectly safe."

"I'm not going to eavesdrop or trail along behind you every step," Mrs. Weasley said irritably. "You can have your privacy. But the fact you're throwing a tantrum tells me you have something planned that I wouldn't approve of."

"Fine, come along. I'm sure Harry won't care."

"I won't care about what?" Harry asked, pausing mid-stride on his way down the hall.

"Mum wants to join us this afternoon."

"Okay." Harry shrugged. "I'm going to get the things from Neville's greenhouse. We can go whenever you're ready." He smiled at Mrs. Weasley and continued on his way.

Ginny stared shrewdly after him. "Mum, there's something going on with him." She glanced back at her mother. "I was hoping he'd talk to me today.

Mrs. Weasley bit her lip. "What if I come with you for just a few minutes," she offered. "Then I'll come back here when I've seen it's safe. How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"As long as it takes for him to tell me what's going on," Ginny said grimly.

"Why do you think something is wrong?"

"I get the feeling he's going to do something dangerous that he knows I wouldn't approve of. He's hiding something from me, and pushing me away." Her eyes narrowed, staring unfocused at the doorway. "I'm going to help him get the things from the greenhouse. We'll meet you at the Floo."

* * *

Fred and George paused and glanced up at Hermione's gasp. Her eyes were wide as she turned the book to face them. 

"Excellent!" They looked up at her in approval after reading the passage. "Where do we get one of these?"

* * *

Crookshanks slipped silently through the castle, playing a rousing game of cat-and-mouse with his sweet little queen, Bombalurina. She brought out the kitten in him; he felt like he'd been rolling in a batch of catnip these days. He paused and sniffed the air. He spared a glance toward the library, where he knew his human was occupied. He wondered if she'd ever caught on to the hints he'd tried to give her. Humans could be deplorably slow sometimes. Then there was her red-haired mate, who had whispered to him to catch any bats he saw. Well, of course he'd catch bats! They were just rats with wings, after all. The boy didn't need to tell him to hunt those. 

He'd return to check on his human's progress later. For now, he had a quarry to capture…

* * *

Harry and Ginny finished planting flowers, gently casting _Aguamenti_ charms to water the new plants. 

They moved to sit companionably under a tree, overlooking the mausoleum.

"Harry, I know you've got to be worried," Ginny began uncertainly. "I'm afraid for you, and me. I'm terrified you're going to do something that'll take you away from me." She looked up into his green eyes that looked so ancient and tired of late. "I feel like you're afraid to get too close to me, and you don't want to risk…things…because you are planning for the worst."

Harry pulled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on the left one, staring aimlessly at the runes on the mausoleum.

"You're probably right," he admitted. "I feel like I can't let you get any more involved with me until I know my life expectancy extends beyond age seventeen." Harry met her gaze miserably. "I can't. I just can't do that. We can't truly be together until Voldemort is gone. I can't _live_ until he's gone."

Ginny nodded and looked at her hands in her lap. When she looked up, her eyes shimmered. "Just remember, you may have to finish Voldemort alone, but I deserve a shot at him too. And all of us reserve the right to take out as many Death Eaters as possible."

"You really want to kill people?"

"If I had to, I could do it." Her chin rose stubbornly.

"I don't want to." Harry squinted at a blade of grass. "I don't even think I can. I can't cast Unforgivables. Hermione created this desiccation spell, but I can't use it, because I know it's a killing spell. I've tried it; even against spiders or bugs, it's completely ineffective."

Ginny froze. "You're giving up," she whispered, shocked. "You're going to trap him in that dome with you and let him kill you while we're stuck on the outside, keeping the dome powered and unable to help you." 

"No!" He held his hands out, pleadingly. "No, I'm not giving up. I _want_ to live. But the other possibility is there too, and we have to consider that."

Tears streaked down her cheeks and she buried her face in his hands. Harry hesitatingly reached for her, drawing her into his arms for what little comfort he could offer.

* * *

"Well hello my little tiger!" Hermione cooed, affectionately stroking Crookshanks' head and back. "Have you been in the kitchens? You smell like cabbages!" 

Crookshanks purred and stood on his hind legs, rubbing his chin against a book on the shelf. Hermione smiled indulgently before turning back to her book. Crookshanks pawed hopefully at the book, glancing up at his mistress impatiently. He _meowed_ plaintively. Fred looked up at him.

"Need a litterbox, mate?"

Crookshanks gave him a glare of offended incredulity.

"He uses the loo." Hermione murmured absently.

"You trained your cat to use the loo?" George raised a brow at her. "Does he flush?"

"He's practically lived at your house during summers, how could you not notice?"

"Does he use the boys' or girls' loo here?" Fred asked interestedly.

"Well," Hermione was irritated now. "Cats are rather fastidious animals by nature, so I suspect he uses whichever is cleaner."

_"RRRrrowww_!" Crookshanks unsheathed his claws, reaching for the book again.

"No, no, Crookshanks!" Hermione rushed to him. "We don't scratch books. Books are our friends!" She carefully inspected the binding of the book, checking for damage. "_The Enigma of __Bacchus_," she read the title. "Are you thirsty?" she asked the cat. "Bacchus is the god of drink."

"Ah, brilliant! Crookshanks is telling us it's time to break for a Butterbeer."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but stood, scooping up her cat. "We can take a break to take you down to the kitchen for a drink of water." She scratched behind his ears.

Crookshanks gave her a disgruntled glare, but she took no notice.


	23. Advances in Science

Disclaimer: JKR could start a 12-step program for those of us who admit we have a problem.

_**Advances in Science**_

"What am I going to do about my name when we're married?" Tonks fretted, filling out the Muggle paperwork that went along with impending nuptials.

Lupin, who had just returned after several hours working with the twins, was evidently feeling bold. "You'll have to let everyone call you Nymphadora, I suppose."

Her nostrils flared as she fixed him with a steely glare. "Over my dead body. Actually, no, that name will _not _be displayed over my dead body. Make a note of that. And anymore of that cheek and I'll ground you from those twins."

Remus chuckled. "You can just hyphenate your name, you know. Or keep your own, I hear that's a new trend." His voice was carefully neutral. "Then you wouldn't be subject to the automatic prejudices of my name."

She gave him a reproving look. "You know I don't care about that. I'm a rather traditional girl at heart. I'm marrying you, and I will take your name. Well, your last name, anyway. I'd offer to trade first names, but you don't look much like a Nymphadora either." She chewed her Muggle Biro. "What would you think if I made Tonks my middle name?" she asked. "Then I could still use it."

Lupin smiled. "That sounds like a perfect compromise."

"Oh, bloody hell! I'll have to find a Muggle dress." Tonks looked properly horrified.

She glared at the contemplative expression on his face before rolling her eyes and tossing her list down on the desk. "So what feats of brilliance did you, Hermione and the dynamic duo accomplish today?"

Lupin cleared his throat. "Hmm, Hermione's Muggle background truly gives her some amazing ideas. She even has an idea for making Wolfsbane easier to take."

"How?"

"Well, Muggles call potions 'medicine,' and they take them in the form of little things that look like small buttons, called 'pills' or 'capsules,' that they swallow."

Tonks nodded. "But how would that work for Wolfsbane? You couldn't fit a dose of that in a capsule."

"Well, that's one of the things we're working on. It wasn't ready to test this moon, but perhaps by next. I wouldn't risk testing it now, at any rate. Especially when you refuse to divulge your plans for us over the full moon." Tonks had been uncommonly secretive. Wherever they were going seemed to require a lot of planning. She had been spending a lot of extra time at her flat, using the Floo.

"I'm an Auror." She scowled. "I am taking care of everything and you will just have to trust me!"

* * *

Ron and Harry were discussing the destruction of Horcruxes, idly watching Ginny playing StarFox on her Nintendo64. 

"Oh, good shot!" Ron commented. He turned to Harry. "So, anyway, you think we could just stab those Horcruxes with your Basilisk fang collection?"

"Dunno if they'd work on all of them. What if they're protected with different curses? I don't fancy losing a hand--or any other part of my anatomy." Harry winced.

"Damn it!" Ginny huffed in annoyance. "I almost beat McGonagall's score that time." She handed the controller to Ron and scooted closer to Harry on the couch. "Have you asked Bill about the Horcruxes? He is a curse-breaker, you know. Riddle didn't _invent_ Horcruxes. Maybe Bill has run across them in the pyramids."

Harry stared at her for a moment, then reached for her face with both hands, kissing her fervently until they toppled over on the couch. "You…are…without a doubt…the most brilliant…" he whispered, punctuating his words with kisses, until Ron happened to turn and catch them.

"YEEURGH!" With a dirty look, he used his wand to extract a tiny strand of memory, casting it to the floor and stomping on it.

Ginny giggled, pulling Harry back for an encore. Ron stalked out of the room without a backwards glance.

Ron wandered upstairs to check on the owls. Pig was crazed with excitement at the sight of him, and nearly aspirated his owl treat. Hedwig elegantly nibbled her treat from his fingers, ruffling her feathers at her excitable companion. "Say..." Ron looked at her appraisingly. "Do owls catch bats?"

Hedwig blinked at him.

"Well, you don't have to eat 'em, mind, but if you see any suspicious looking bat-like characters around here or at Hogwarts, go ahead and catch them. I suppose if you can bring them in alive to McGonagall for identification, that'd be the best," he said grudgingly. "But if you accidentally snap the beasties' necks, don't beat yourself up over it. I don't know if you can tell regular bats from Animagus bats, but the one we're after is Snape, understand?"

Hedwig hooted, which Ron took as an affirmative answer.

"Next stop, Hogwarts library." Ron said, a devious little smile playing about his lips.

* * *

"Crookshanks!" Hermione scolded. "Why do you keep digging at those books?" she asked, exasperated. 

Ron stealthily crept up behind her. He quickly snared her around the waist and began dropping kisses along the nape of her neck.

"Fred! Stop doing that!" Hermione swatted his thigh.

Ron's eyes were like saucers as she spun around, mischief in her eyes. "Gotcha!"

Ron sulked. "Every time I kiss you, I'm going to wonder if you're imagining one of my brothers."

"Ah, what does it matter?" Hermione stood on tiptoe, her arms around his neck. "All you redheads look alike anyway." She giggled, reassuring him with her lips.

* * *

Crookshanks heaved a sigh. _Humans_. They were far too easily distracted by the opposite gender; especially at this age. He leaped up to the table to stretch out on an open book, absorbing the knowledge within through some form of fur osmosis. He patted Hermione's notes with his paw, then paged through the heavy tome until he found the information she needed. He'd helped her with her homework this way many times. 

He glanced up at the couple still connected at the face. Staring contests he could understand. Friendly grooming he enjoyed. The things they were doing with their tongues right then, he simply couldn't grasp. He stared intently at the red-haired boy's head, willing him to receive the telepathic message he was sending. His human--Bast love her--was a lovely girl, but she just didn't operate on the right wavelength most of the time. He'd had more luck with her redheaded friends. The young female was his favorite, but even she acted as though she'd had too much catnip when her green-eyed tom was about.

Having no luck transmitting his message, Crookshanks demonstrated the patience of his kind, settling into his human's knapsack for what promised to be a long wait.

* * *

Neville and Hannah were tending the plants in Neville's greenhouse. He had developed a tropical water plant section and was experimenting with varieties of Gillyweed. 

"What are these for?" Hannah inquired, poking the grayish green slimy rat-tailed plants with her finger.

Neville glanced over his shoulder at her. "Oh, that's gillyweed. Professor Lupin wants it for something, so I told him I'd have a go at growing it."

"What's he going to do with it?"

Neville shrugged. "Not positive, but I think he's working on something with the twins. I haven't asked any questions, because it's probably better if I don't know, but I've got the impression they're plotting to give someone webbed feet on a semi-permanent basis."

Hannah laughed. "And you have no idea who they would want to turn into a toad-like creature?"

Neville widened his eyes innocently. "I'm sure I wouldn't know, but they'll cross that, _um…bridge_, when they come to it."

"You are so punny."

"Thank you," he said seriously, plucking a yellow blossom from one of the plants. He tucked it in her hair and kissed her quickly, flushing slightly pink.

Hannah's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.

* * *

Ginny's watch chimed and she groaned. "My mother and her impeccable timing." 

"Hmmm?" Harry queried, lips against her neck.

"Mum is here," Ginny clarified. "I had Hermione put in an alarm charm to tell me when my parents came within a hundred meters."

Harry sighed regretfully, but sat up, straightened his clothes and tossed her one of the game controllers. "How about a game of Goldeneye 007? I'll be Bond... James Bond, on a mission to eliminate hostile forces. Here, scan my retina." He closed one eye and put his nose to hers.

Ginny snickered, returning his Eskimo kiss. "No retinal scans in the game. That was in the film, _Never Say Never Again, _remember? But let's make the game more interesting."

"Mmm." Harry eyed her appraisingly. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Friendly wager."

"Terms?"

Ginny adopted a pose of contemplative thought. "If you win, we go flying. If I win, we go to your house for a picnic."

"Or...we can do both of those things and skip the game," Harry offered. "Maybe you and your considerable lock-picking skills can help me open that blasted trunk."

"Okay." She grinned. "I'll find Winky and have her pack us a basket. Want me to have her take the trunk, too?"

"It's too awkward for her to carry," Harry protested.

"She's an elf, remember? She can just pop it over. How'd you think your trunk gets from the train to your dorm every year?"

"Ah, right, carry on, then." He watched her go for a moment before gingerly touching the scar on his forehead. It had been twinging more often lately. Probably from not practicing his Occlumency enough. He'd use a few moments to do just that, he decided.

It took him some time to center himself and concentrate. He sat back down on the couch and searched for an image he could use. He never dared use an image of Ginny's face, because anyone near him would see her, coloured by his perception, and it was too private to share. His glance fell on the game system and he immediately envisioned a flashing "Game Over" sign. He even added the annoying giggling dog from his cousin's old Duck Hunt game. Thinking of his cousin dredged up bothersome emotions that Harry fed to the vision, adding fuel to the fire.

The tingling in his scar grew worse rather than better. He struggled to focus and concentrate. Suddenly he felt a soft mental _snap_, and his mind was flooded with images that did not belong to him. It was like the time he'd accidentally invaded Snape's mind. He heard an angry scream of pain and rage in the distance, but paid no heed, overwhelmed as he was by the horrible atrocities tumbling and spilling around his mind.

Muggles, spinning like rag dolls high in the air. People screaming, eyes rolled back in their heads as their bodies arched in agony. Flashes of green light, high-pitched laughter and scenes of empty, sightless eyes came from all directions. He saw a giant snake with an oddly-shaped, lumpy body disappear into an hourglass. When he saw an image of a familiar red-haired woman, he gasped and his heart lurched painfully. He heard another enraged scream and the torrent of images suddenly went black as pitch.

"Harry! Harry! MUM! Help! Harry, no, I need you, Harry, please..." Ginny's frantic sobs invaded his consciousness, but he couldn't seem to move.

"Ginny! What happened?" Mrs. Weasley's voice was faint.

"I don't know, Mum, I thought Ron put him in a body bind curse or something, he was all rigid, but he wasn't breathing, and then I noticed his scar…"

Harry convulsed then, gasping for breath and fighting rolling waves of nausea. "Mum," he whispered in anguish, and Mrs. Weasley pulled him firmly into her arms.

Mrs. Weasley instantly conjured a bin. "Here you are, Harry, be sick if you need to, it's alright. Ginny, fetch some ginger and willowbark tea and a blanket."

Breathing deeply through flared nostrils, Harry finally managed to control his roiling stomach and shuddering. He groaned, leaning forward with his head in his hands. His whole body ached as though he'd taken a thorough trouncing.

Mrs. Weasley rubbed his back. The unused bin sat between his feet. He tentatively touched his scar, wincing in pain.

Ginny rushed back into the room with a blanket, which she draped over his shoulders. "Winky's bringing the tea." She shifted nervously. "Should I fetch Madam Pomfrey?"

"Yes, please," Mrs. Weasley answered, still rubbing his back. "His breathing and heart rate are quite high, but I don't see any injuries."

Ginny darted for the Floo, making the call quickly.

"I'm okay," Harry muttered. "Just a bad headache. Tired."

Winky popped in with the tea tray, rattling with the speed of her hurried steps. "Oh Master Harry! You gave Winky such a turn, you did! You was in two places at once, and a bad place one was!" she scolded.

Harry mustered a weak smile. "Sorry Winky, it was an accident. I'll try not to do it again." A tremor shook him.

"Where did you go?" Ginny sank down on the couch next to him, reaching for his hand.

"I was just practicing my Occlumency, and all of a sudden I felt something snap, and then it was like I was in someone else's head. I saw a bunch of stuff that made no sense. Bad stuff."

"I'm going to get Arthur." Mrs. Weasley said.

"I think you'd better get Professor McGonagall, too," Ginny met her mother's gaze worriedly. "I'll send for Hermione, Ron and Lupin." She turned to her watch, already sending notes.

Harry had taken a few sips of tea under Winky's watchful gaze, then slumped back on the couch. His eyes drifted closed. Ginny moved to the end of the couch, then levitated and turned him so he could lie down. Winky draped the blanket over him, tucking him in securely. She smiled at Ginny and popped back to the kitchen.

Ginny finger-combed the hair away his forehead, examining the scar closely. It looked normal now, but it had glowed with sickly green light for a few moments before he'd awakened.

Ron and Hermione burst through the door, red-faced and gasping for breath.

"What happened?" Hermione asked frantically, rushing to Harry's side, dropping her knapsack on the floor. She checked his pulse and scanned him with her wand. "He seems to be sleeping now."

Hearing approaching footsteps, Ginny motioned the other two to follow her to the corner, where she described the incident in low tones.

"You think he broke into Voldemort's head?" Ron shook his head. "Shite, no wonder he looks like he took a beating."

Hermione stared at Harry thoughtfully. "Is he stronger? Or is Voldemort weaker?" she mused.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked. "He's been breaking into Voldemort's head since Fifth year."

"Until Voldemort realized what he was doing and blocked him out," Hermione said pointedly.

"You think he broke through Voldemort's mental shields?" Ginny looked horrified.

"You know his projection Occlumency power has gotten stronger," Hermione theorized. "What if Voldemort was sleeping or something, and Harry broke through his shields using that mental connection from the scar?"

"Well, if he got in, I hope he had time to look for information on the Horcruxes while he was there." Ron anxiously ran his hand through his hair. "But what if Voldemort did this on purpose, like the false visions from the Ministry? What if he's trying to trap Harry's mind somewhere?"

Ginny watched Madam Pomfrey check Harry's vital signs while her mother explained what had happened. She saw Crookshanks emerge from Hermione's knapsack where she'd dropped it near the couch. He immediately met her gaze and sought her lap. As she mechanically stroked his fur, his purring soothed her.

"I need a cat," she murmured. "If Harry is going to pull this kind of stunt very often, I definitely need something to hold. If my hands are occupied, I can't strangle him for scaring the life out of me."

"Oi!" she blinked into focus suddenly. "Crookshanks! You're supposed to be at Hogwarts. Herms, I'll take him back for you, okay? Summon me if anything changes here. I'll be right back." She bit her lip, glancing at Harry.

Without waiting for an answer, she stood and hoisted the heavy cat to her shoulder. She went through the cabinet and into the War Room, where she paused at the shelves of books, stroking the cat as he nuzzled her ear. She glanced at her watch, noting Harry's hand still pointed to "Sleeping." She sighed, striding out of the room, heading for the library. When she entered, Crookshanks leapt to the floor. "I need a book on mental links," she announced to the room. A light appeared over a set of shelves and she hurried towards it, selecting a few promising-looking volumes.

"_Meowwrrr_."

She nearly tripped over Crookshanks on her way to a reading table, and spared him a scowl as he darted to a shelf where he pawed wildly at a book. She knelt on the floor near the cat, pulling the book off the shelf. "Something in here you're after, old boy?"

Crookshanks scratched at the cover until she opened it for him. He raked the pages open and gazed expectantly at her with intense yellow eyes.

Ginny bent studiously over the ancient mythology volume, glancing up when she heard Crookshanks' greeting noise.

"Prrrrrowl?"

Ginny heard a soft answering chirp. "Awww, aren't you a little beauty?" she crooned, reaching for the petite tuxedo cat. Her fur was glossy black and her paws and belly pristine white. "Are you Crookshanks' little lady friend? I wish I could bring you back to Headquarters, but I'm sure someone would go spare on me. Security and all. I wonder whose kitty you are…. Show me where you live." She set the little cat down, absently added the book on Mythology to her other selections and followed.

Several minutes later, Ginny and the cats stood in the dungeons at the entrance to the Slytherin common room. It opened automatically for the cat, who darted inside, but Ginny paused, glancing at Crookshanks. "You wouldn't let her lead me into a trap, would you?"

Crookshanks rubbed against her leg reassuringly before following his friend. Ginny listened carefully. "No one is here for the summer," she reasoned. "And I can call Dobby if I need to." She used a sticking charm to hold the door open. "No way I'm getting trapped in with no password to get out."

She stepped inside. The Slytherin common room was not unlike the Gryffindors' for accommodations or size. The colors of the furnishings were silver and green, of course, and the dim lighting made it seem less welcoming, but not as sinister as she'd imagined. She followed the cats down a corridor. She poked her head into the nearest loo. "Girls' side of the dorm, that's good."

They arrived at the last room at the end of the hall; the door was ajar, and both cats slipped inside. Ginny followed cautiously. The room was completely devoid of any personal effects. "Ah, perhaps your mistress finished school and left you behind?" Ginny guessed hopefully. "I've an idea. Let's look through the boys' side. I can take a gander through Malfoy's stuff if it's still here, and be able to guess what year this girl is in, based on his room position."

Malfoy's room corresponded with the girls' room she'd been in on the opposite side. "So you belong to someone in the same year as Malfoy…. I'll have to ask Hermione who that could be. I know of Parkinson, Bullstrode and Greengrass…. Hard to imagine Bullstrode with such a pretty little kitten, but I know she had a cat." She checked her watch again. "Well, let's see what Mr. Malfoy left for us while we wait for Harry to wake up." Employing her talents, she popped his trunk open without difficulty and began rummaging through the contents. She found a few strands of white-blond hair on a comb and conjured a phial to keep them in. She didn't find anything else of use, so she repacked the trunk exactly as she'd found it. As an afterthought, she reopened it and added a tracking charm to the stack of boxers. Satisfied, she locked the trunk and gathered her things. "Well, my feline companions, I must take my leave. It smells just a little too Slytherin in here."

As she hurriedly made her way back to the War Room, she pondered the conspicuous absence of Filch and Mrs. Norris. Madam Pince had not been seen in the library either. Perhaps they were all on holiday together. Ginny snickered. "I can just imagine Pince and Filch off on a beach in bathing costumes together with Mrs. Norris."

"Goodbye Crookshanks, I need to get back to Harry. Give your little friend a kiss for me."

* * *

Harry awakened that evening in time for the weekly Order meeting. He listened groggily through Mr. Weasley's reports on the dementor experiments. 

The nitrous oxide had neutralized the dementors' powers quite effectively, and the after-effects led to the dementors destruction of each other. Dementors were fast becoming an endangered species. The twins wanted to capture a few and study them. They hoped to design some kind of soul vacuum using a real dementor, trapped inside something--like a genie in a bottle--to be called out at will.

McGonagall disagreed. "Voldemort has dementors working for him. Dementors don't want his soul. It's too corrupt."

Mr. Weasley also discussed the Ministry's plans to implement some of the suggestions in Harry's letter.

"Public outcry has demanded the rules of wartime be applied," Mr. Weasley said. "Underage use of magic is no longer being targeted for punishment, and Apparition can be taught and practiced from age fourteen." Ginny and Luna had learned to Apparate over the summer, having disregarded the former law.

"Good suggestion of Harry's, using those detection spells to watch for Unforgiveables and dispatch Aurors and Hitwizard teams." Moody nodded approvingly. "Scores of Death Eater raids on Muggles and Muggleborns have been interrupted or prevented."

Lupin gave a report on the progress of the teenagers in training. "They'll be ready for NEWTs soon. They've been working diligently. Hermione has created several new spells, and uncovered some very old ones, that should give Harry an advantage."

"What was that spell Harry used on me?" Tonks asked. "Took days to fully recover my morphing ability."

"It was a depression spell," Hermione smiled apologetically. "Severe emotional upheaval affects magical abilities due to serotonin receptors in the brain. This spell does the same thing, changing the body chemistry so fast that it almost leaves a wizard incapable of using his magic. An affected wizard's spells get weaker and weaker until completely ineffective. This particular spell is only effective for Harry to use, because it's done in Parseltongue. Therefore, the only counter is also in Parseltongue."

"We definitely don't want Voldemort hearing about that one."

Madam Pomfrey spoke on the success of the wand experiments. She suggested anyone with a spare wand consider it, as it strengthened their spell-casting abilities. Tonks and Kingsley had both undergone the procedure, but hadn't made it known in the ranks of Aurors, for fear spies would leak the idea to Voldemort. Ollivander had not been found, so the difficulty of obtaining spare wands made it prohibitive for most anyway. McGonagall urged everyone to go through their family vaults to look for old wands, and promised to contact other wand-makers for a supply.

Neville reported the success of the methadone for reducing the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. "You can still feel it, but it is not incapacitating. The twins designed a robe clasp with a built-in needle that, when hit physically or by hard curses, breaks and releases methadone directly into the bloodstream. It can also be worn as a brooch, necklace, watch or bracelet."

Ginny gave Lupin the hair recovered from Malfoy's trunk. She hoped it could be used for tracking, as could his trunk itself when it was removed from Hogwarts.

"Potter." McGonagall's voice snapped irritably.

"Yes, Professor?" Harry answered, mid-yawn.

"Would you care enlighten me as to why your owl brought me a nearly dead bat earlier this evening?"

"Sorry Professor, I've no idea,"

Ron sniggered and Harry glanced at him in suspicion. He suddenly had a very good idea who might've given his owl instructions for bat hunting. He'd have a talk to Hedwig later. Much as he wanted Snape captured, he didn't want Hedwig to get hurt.

Harry found it difficult to concentrate on the rest of the meeting with the onset of a dull, throbbing headache. The reports were all things he'd heard already, anyway.

Madam Pomfrey politely interrupted the meeting to send him off to bed.

He rose gratefully, pausing to whisper to Lupin, who nodded, cutting his eyes at Bill.

* * *

Ginny, in Luna's room for the duration of the meeting, skimmed through her book while they chatted. 

"So how on earth did you convince my idiot brother to get involved in a serious physical relationship within two weeks of meeting him? Have you got siren blood or something?"

"We have a lot of common interests. Once he got past his initial inhibitions with the age difference, we got to know each other very quickly."

Ginny gave her a narrow-eyed look. "That doesn't explain the rush into a physical relationship without a serious commitment. My brothers weren't raised like that."

"I told him I didn't want my first time to be at the hands of a Death Eater," Luna shrugged. "I've heard pure-blood virgin witches are at a premium. It wasn't difficult to convince him when he thought it was for my own protection. And gave me a ring, see?" Luna pulled at the thin chain around her neck, displaying a gold band dangling at the bottom. "I haven't decided, so I won't wear it on my finger. I'm nearly seventeen. I won't consider it until then." She shrugged and dropped the ring back down the front of her robes.

"I suppose Charlie is prone to making fast decisions." Ginny's mused. "Guess he has to, working with dragons. Anyway, congratulations!" She grinned, leaning over to hug her friend. "Welcome to the family."

"Thank you." Luna glanced down at her watch. "Oh, Harry's back in his room, but the others are still in the meeting."

"I better go check on him," Ginny bounced up from the bed. "I heard Pomfrey tell Mum she'd send him out if he looked ill."

"Can I borrow your library book?" Luna asked.

"Sure," Ginny called over her shoulder, already halfway out the door.

She found Harry laying face-down on his bed. He'd managed to take his shirt off before collapsing. "Poor baby," she murmured, massaging his scalp and back, eliciting a soft moan and what sounded like mumbles of eternal love and gratitude.

"Promises, promises," she sighed. "Now if I could just get you to promise not to do anything stupidly noble…"

* * *

Remus John and N. Tonks Lupin were joined in the bonds of matrimony in a nondescript Muggle church. Tonks' few trusted family members were in attendance, along with members of the Order. Hagrid was conspicuous by his absence, as he felt he ought to stay at Hogwarts. He did send a wedding gift: an enormous yellow knitted afghan that Harry thought looked remarkably like a circus tent. 

The ceremony was brief, and Tonks looked lovely in a simple off-the-shoulder Muggle gown. It wasn't a typical wedding dress, but it suited her, and Lupin looked captivated. She'd chosen a glossy chestnut shade for her hair, so as not to offend the Muggle minister. Remus looked quite dashing sporting a new suit and freshly-trimmed hair. His eyes sparkled with life and love.

Harry wondered what improvements Hermione had made to the Wolfsbane potion, as Lupin looked better than he had since his days at Hogwarts, even with the full moon so close. Harry thought of the times he'd seen Lupin in the Pensieve, and even as a teenager, he'd looked worn and prematurely aged.

Afterward the celebrations, everyone congratulated the happy couple and wished them well on their honeymoon. Tonks was still adamantly refusing to tell Lupin where they were going; only that she would Side-Along Apparate him. He sighed, seemingly resigned to his fate.

Harry signed over the deed to Grimmauld Place to them as a wedding present. Tonks was a Black, and Lupin had been Sirius' best friend, so Harry felt it was only appropriate. Someday, he hoped, the newlyweds would be able to strip all the wards down and start from scratch, redoing the house to suit their own preferences.

Hermione sidled up to Harry, asking how he felt. "I'm fine, Hermione," Harry rolled his eyes. "I was just tired. It's been days. I'm fully recovered." He looked askance at her. "Lupin's looking rather young these days," he commented.

"Well, those monthly transformations are hard on people. That's what prematurely ages werewolves and shortens their life spans. I found that adding a drop of anti-aging potion helps reverse the effect. A little Euphoria Potion strengthens his mental resistance to the werewolf tendencies as well." She glanced up at Harry. "You've contributed to his anti-aging more than I have, however."

"How so?"

"Well, you know how the Contristo spell works," she said. "Mental depression weakens powers. Up until this spring, he never believed he had a chance for a normal future. No career prospects, no hope of average things like marriage or family. He isn't really the type to complain; he just tries to accept it and make the best of it." Hermione turned to watch the happy couple getting ready to leave. "Now he has a partnership in a successful business, patents on his inventions, and people who love him. He has something to live for, and you can tell in his work. He has an absolutely brilliant mind, and is far more powerful than most would expect."

"He definitely looks like he has a new lease on life," Harry grinned. "So where is she taking him on the honeymoon, anyway?" 

"Around the world, backwards."

"What?"

"He won't transform at all this month, because he'll never be anywhere with a full moon. Tonks called on Aurors worldwide to set up the Portkeys and Apparition points. It took her awhile, but now that it's done, he could do this every month and never transform again. In fact, Tonks is looking for properties to set up safehouses on this trip. They can capitalize on this venture too, arranging werewolf world tours, so others can avoid transformation as well. This could mean a world of difference."

"Isn't that much magical travel as bad as a night of transformation with Wolfsbane?" Harry asked.

"It's magically exhausting, but not physically painful," Hermione shrugged. "And they'll probably still take the Wolfsbane as a precaution. We're working on getting it into a capsule form so they can just swallow a tablet instead of drinking that awful stuff. Mum's pretty smart with Muggle medicine, and the twins have been shrinking potions into sweets for ages, so together they make a good team. Mum thinks we can develop an extended release potion that would enter the bloodstream at a measured rate throughout the day, rather than a whole cup of potion hitting all at once. It should help the aggression levels stabilize and make the potion more effective."

"Brilliant," Harry marveled. "Next thing, you'll be announcing a cure."

"That will be a project for after the war," Hermione said. "And some curses can't be cured. But in the meantime, we have something attractive to offer werewolves that Voldemort would never give them."

The familiar jerk behind their navels finally took them back to Hogwarts. From the War Room, they went through the cabinet and dispersed throughout the house. The Weasleys had moved in to help the Grangers chaperon while the Lupins traveled. Harry knew Lupin hoped they'd stay on after Hogwarts opened.

Days earlier, Lupin had encouraged the twins to take rooms in the huge house, offering to set up their own private Floo and en suite bathroom, so they'd have the privacy they'd grown accustomed to. He'd made the same offer to Charlie, telling them all it was important for the Order that they be nearby. Should a problem arise at the school, they could go through the cabinet at a moment's notice. Everyone had agreed, knowing another attack on the school was probably inevitable.

They also planned to make use of the War Room for training sessions whenever their schedules allowed. McGonagall offered one of the unused classrooms at Hogwarts for Lupin and the twins to use as a workshop, to better conceal their activities. Their shop on Diagon Alley was heavily warded, but still a public place.

* * *

Hogwarts letters finally arrived with booklists for the year. Due to inadequate numbers of students, there would be no Quidditch, but the D.A. was declared an official student organization, led by Harry and Neville. Ginny and Luna were awarded prefect status. Hermione complimented McGonagall's strategy at allowing them more freedom than the average student without making it look like favoritism. 

First through Third year students were to have combined classes. Fourth and Fifth years would be together, taking classes aimed at OWLs, and Sixth and Seventh years would be combined for NEWT preparation. Independent study would be highly encouraged, as would mentoring of younger students by older ones. House affiliations would have much less emphasis, and two of the unused classrooms near the library had been combined to form an all-school common room.

The new curriculum focused on the events at hand. Defense classes would be longer and more rigorous, officially taught by William and Fleur Weasley.

Hermione gasped. "They did take the job! I knew they were considering it, but needed to work out the details with the goblins at Gringotts. Oh how wonderful! And Bill will be Gryffindor Head of House as well!"

* * *

Mrs. Weasley accompanied the teens to Diagon Alley for their school supplies. Afterwards, they went to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. The four girls selected a table and sat down, waiting for the boys and Mrs. Weasley to place the orders. 

"Ginny, have you an unusual affinity for cats?" Luna asked.

"I like cats, if that's what you mean."

"Crookshanks adores her," Hermione noted.

"Ginny got a book from the library about mythology and ancient magics," Luna explained. "Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess, was associated with Artemis, the maiden huntress. Artemis was known as a soul hunter and shape shifter. She was accompanied by a stag. Some say it was a silver stag. She had a silver bow and a magic quiver of arrows that refilled automatically. She specified in healing, especially mental healing."

"What does that have to do with me?" Ginny looked skeptical.

"I don't know." Luna shrugged and smiled. "It just reminded me of you. Especially after you told me about Crookshanks picking this book out for you before his little friend led you down to the Slytherin dorms."

Hermione's eyes were wide. "You followed that cat to Malfoy's room? It could have been a trap!"

"No, no!" Ginny glanced around worriedly. "It wasn't like that! Well, okay, it'll probably sound stupid, but cats do seem to listen to me. I asked Crookshanks' friend where she lived, and followed her to the Slytherin dorms. Crookshanks trusted her, so I stuck the door open and checked for any signs of life. There was no one there, so I followed the cats. She has been living in the Seventh year girls' dorm."

"That could have been a trap, Ginny," Hermione hissed. "I can't believe you went into the Slytherin dorms alone. Harry would go spare if he found out. Not to mention your mum's reaction."

"Oh please," Ginny scowled. "Harry has written a will and created a dome that will keep Voldemort trapped at the expense of his own life. He has no room to criticize me for taking a calculated risk by following a _completely trustworthy cat_ in an empty dorm. And how is that any worse than you, as Second years, brewing an illegal potion to get into the Slytherin common room? At least when I went in, I made sure it was deserted!"

Hermione's mouth formed a thin line. "I'm just afraid that other cat means trouble. What if a Death Eater put her there, waiting for one of us to take her in. She's probably got a tracking charm on her."

"I got the impression she'd been left behind, actually. I don't imagine we'll have many Slytherins back."

Hannah, who had been listening quietly to the exchanges, cleared her throat then, her eyes fixed on the approaching group. The girls moved over to make room, reaching for glasses of pumpkin juice, pasties and desserts from the trays, joining in the mundane chatter about the weather and broomstick models.

As Harry settled next to Ginny, he spoke in a low undertone. "I haven't forgotten, I still owe you an afternoon of flying, picnicking and devious lock-picking, trunk-opening adventure."

"I was just wondering how to fill these last long, lazy days of summer," she said, chuckling.


	24. His Mum's Eyes

Disclaimer: No profit is being made off this story. In fact, it's rather the opposite of profit, considering the amount of time I spend writing that I should spend on more lucrative activities.

**_His Mum's Eyes_**

Harry slept on his side, his back facing Ron's side of the room. Ginny, sent to wake the boys up for breakfast, couldn't resist the temptation. She wriggled under his arm, pressing full-length against him, hooking her leg over his hip.

"You have interesting ways of waking me up," he growled softly, glancing over his shoulder at Ron's sleeping form.

Ginny grinned mischievously, a hand roving over his bare chest, tickling his ribs.

"Cruel, absolutely vicious. Your brother is barely across the room."

"Mmhmm," she hummed against his skin. "It's more fun because you resist, you know."

"What happens if I stop resisting?" He shifted, pinning her to the mattress.

"Then we have a whole new game."

"You are wicked," Harry huffed, shifting his weight off again. "Now get out of my bed and go wake your brother for breakfast. Shoo."

Ginny kissed his nose impishly, pushing him over on his back and crawling over him slowly to reach the far side of the bed. She hopped down and altered her expression to one more sisterly.

"Ron, if you're not out of bed in thirty seconds, I'm going to use Aguamenti on you. I've been just itching to try it out since Hermione showed me how to add ice to it."

"Sadistic, you are. Ron warned me." Harry gathered his clothes and left for the shower, chuckling.

After breakfast, he and Ginny went to Hogwarts to go flying. They took a break when Ginny noticed Dobby with a bag of bread crusts for the giant squid.

They tickled the squid's tentacles until the crusts were gone and Dobby popped away. Harry leaned back in the grass to watch the clouds. Ginny swung herself over his torso and pinned him to the ground. "Now I've got you."

"Hmm."

"I believe you promised me a ride."

"Alright." He raised a brow and levitated her off him, summoning his Firebolt as he stood.

"Your chariot awaits." He bowed and held the broom steady as she climbed on. He settled himself behind her and adjusted the cushioning charm to seat both of them comfortably, obligingly wrapping an arm tightly around her.

Harry directed the broom to drift slowly over Hogwarts grounds at a low altitude.

"Oh come on, Harry, I could levitate myself faster than this." She playfully swatted his thigh. "Giddyup!"

Harry dropped his arm from her waist to grip the broom as they suddenly rocketed skyward, the air leaving her lungs in a whoosh. He held her securely, her body pinned snugly between his arms and thighs, as they tore up the pitch, performing a perfect Sloth Grip Roll before diving in a modified Wronski Feint. He pulled the broom out of the steep dive, spiraling off at an angle to loop and spin like a roller coaster broomstick ride. He finished with a few backwards loop-the-loops and they coasted in for a landing, breathless.

"That was amazing." Ginny dropped to the grass. "I don't think I can walk."

Harry grinned. "You've played Seeker; you've flown like that before."

"Yes, but it's different." She reached for his hand, tugging him down beside her. "When I fly, I know what I'm going to do next."

Just then, his stomach growled loudly and she chuckled. "Okay, I guess that means we need to find that picnic basket. _Accio_ _brooms_!"

They flew through the castle, racing down the corridors and skidding around corners until they arrived at the doorway to the War Room. "Oh, we should have visited Hagrid." Harry paused and frowned.

"I think he's been a bit busy lately. He went to France for awhile, remember? He finally got himself a new wand. And some private lessons with Madame Maxime, I'd wager. We'll have plenty of time to see him once school starts. Maybe we can talk him and Grawp into sparring with us. The rest of our bunch isn't much of a challenge anymore." She buffed her nails on her jumper.

Harry laughed. "Can't curse giants, you know. Their hide is too tough. You'd have better luck throwing rocks."

"I heard of a guy who took down a giant with a rock in a sling."

Harry shrugged. "That's as good a strategy as any, though I think Hermione's laughing gas might be easier."

Back at Headquarters, Ginny went to put their brooms away.

"Winky?" Harry called.

"Yes, Master Harry?" The little elf popped into Harry's room. Remus had added a fireplace so Harry could Floo directly to his house from his room.

"Did you already take the trunk and picnic basket to Godric's Hollow?"

"Oh yes, Master! Treacle tart, Butterbeers, potato salad, turkey sandwiches and crisps."

"Thanks Winky," Ginny said as she entered the room. "That sounds great. Do you know where my mum is? I told her we'd let her know when we were going."

"She is already there." Winky indicated the Floo.

Ginny looked startled. "Okay…" she gave Harry a puzzled look. "Did you give her the password so she can go without you? Anytime she wants?"

"Well, I gave her _a_ password," Harry stroked his jaw and perused the ceiling.

"What _kind_ of a password?"

"Well, there are two passwords right now," Harry was now inspecting his fingernails. "One that you and I have, and one that the others have."

"Why?"

"Well, the one the others have triggers a doorbell," Harry explained, slightly pink around the ears. "And if we're there, we can refuse admittance."

"How?"

"Well, if we're in the house and the doorbell--er, Floobell?--rings, we just say 'come in' or 'go away' and the Floo either lets them in or sends them back where they came from. If we aren't there, it lets them in. I can change it so no one can come in if we're not there, but only people we trust have the other password, so I don't mind if they go anytime they want. _Mi casa es su casa,_ or however that saying goes."

"Rather ingenious of you. I'm impressed." Ginny's lips quirked at the corners.

"I asked Tonks about it, actually." Harry shrugged. "I didn't want the suspicious looks from anybody else. She's cool that way."

"Why would you get suspicious looks?"

"Everyone thinks I'm going to do something stupid, like take off on my own, if I ever try to get a moment's privacy." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Well, you do have that sort of history, you know." Ginny bit her lip. Quietly, she asked, "Do you want more time to be alone?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I've learned my lesson. I used to think I should just do everything myself and not endanger anyone else. But I can't put people in a safe little box and expect them to stay there. First, there is no safe little box; and second, everyone I'm trying to protect is almost as stupidly noble as I am, so the moment I turn my back, they're escaping from the box to come after me." He gave her a mock reproachful look that she pointedly ignored.

"Hiding people away for safety isn't the answer. That's what Dumbledore did to Sirius, and to me, too. I should never have even considered doing that to you. I'm sorry.

"I understand," she said, "I'd do anything to keep you safe and protected, too, you know."

* * *

They found Mrs. Weasley puttering around the garden, tending a few overgrown flowering plants. 

"Oh hello dears!" She smiled and waved. "I hope you don't mind, Harry. Some of your rose bushes needed pruning, and it was such a lovely day, I felt like being outdoors. Oh, and I refreshed the mowing charm on your grass. It must have worn off when you redid the Fidelius."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley, I didn't really know what to do about the grass, or the roses. I couldn't find a lawnmower or pruning shears anywhere."

"I'm happy to help." Mrs. Weasley patted his cheek indulgently. "I enjoyed it. It's so lovely and quiet here. I'll just head back to Headquarters now, though, I have some Order business to attend to."

"Is it normal for your mum to just leave us alone like this?" Harry asked as they watched her enter the house.

"Well, no, not really. She's always been the mother hen type, but I had a little chat with her recently." Ginny fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt. "I think she feels sort of responsible for Percy's leaving, for not allowing him enough freedom to make his own mistakes and learn from them."

"That makes no sense," Harry frowned in confusion, as they found a nice patch of grass in the shade to have their picnic.

"Well, you know how Percy is about following rules? Mum reckons she made him that way, because that's how he got her attention when he was little. He was always her little prefect, you know? Same at school and then his job. Authority figures love people who follow their rules; ergo, that's what makes him feel valuable. He follows and enforces rules without really thinking, because rules are more important to him than the results. He can't see the forest for the trees. Hermione could have ended up the same way, if she hadn't met you and Ron."

Harry gave her a look of astounded disbelief. "And your mum feels responsible for his personality? What if he was just born that way?"

"Well, then she feels responsible for his genetics," Ginny said, sitting down on the insect-repelling blanket.

"Do all parents feel bizarre amounts of guilt over every stupid thing their kids do?" Harry asked as he joined her on the ground.

"Well, parenting is a big responsibility, I suppose. Mum just has trouble knowing when that responsibility is over. She and Dad did their best to raise us and teach us to make the right choices. Now they just have to let us."

"I'm sure they trust your choices. They just want to keep you safe. I can understand that."

"But I'm not some passive little wallflower," she reminded him. "If that's what you wanted in life, you'd have stuck with Cho, or gone for Lavender, or some other girly girl who would sit around and cry over you--and then turn to someone else for comfort and forget all about you." Ginny's voice carried a rather harsh tone.

Harry turned his attention to the picnic basketHe hated when she got upset with him.

"Harry," Ginny's hand touched his arm. "I've waited for you for years already. I probably would have waited for you to finish this war, too, if you'd asked. But I might not have been the same person when you came back. We both might have changed so much that we'd have been strangers by then. I don't want to be shunted aside and taken for granted."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Harry finally asked.

"I guess, well..." Ginny drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "We'll be going back to school in a few days. I've kind of gotten used to being with you all the time. At school there are a lot of other people who want your attention. And half of them are girls," she finished quietly.

"And the other half are boys, who would gladly take _your_ attention." Harry scowled for a moment. "Comes back to trusting each other to make the right choices, doesn't it? And we trust each other."

"Communication is pretty important too." Ginny glanced at him, her eyes pleading.

"Not my strongest attribute, I know."

"It'll be okay." Ginny kissed him firmly and patted his thigh. "Unless we starve." She opened the basket, handing him the Butterbeers while she set out the food. She paused, looking down at the sandwich in her hand. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to act so possessive."

Harry quirked an eyebrow. "I don't mind."

Ginny laughed. "I've created a monster."

"Yup," Harry agreed, unconsciously rubbing his chest.

Ginny moved onto a new subject, and Harry was a bit too absorbed watching her eat--that thing she did with her tongue was intriguing--to really listen to her talk about Crookshanks and how she liked cats, and how silly it sounded that Crookshanks and his friend seemed to communicate with her.

"Why would that be silly?" He blinked as he caught up to the conversation. "Snakes talk, why wouldn't cats? Crookshanks is smarter than most people; we've known that for ages." He squinted at her, cocking his head to the side. "I bet you'd have some sort of cat Animagus form."

"That would be fun. Maybe I'll talk to McGonagall about it sometime. That's a better theory than Luna's."

"What brilliant off-the-wall theory did Luna have?"

"Some nonsense about harnessing the ancient powers of Bast." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Bast?"

"Ancient Egyptian cat goddess," Ginny explained. "Corresponds to Artemis, the red-headed Goddess of the Hunt."

"What did she hunt?" he asked, not sure if he should take this seriously or not.

"Er, souls, apparently."

Harry just blinked. "What?"

"Well, I was in the library at Hogwarts with Crookshanks and he wanted me to look at a certain book on mythical magic, so I ended up bringing it back to Headquarters with me, and Luna asked to read it. Then she came up with this theory,"

"Well, a lot of people like cats, why would she think you have special ability to harness powers of Bast? Erm, not that you couldn't if you wanted to, of course."

"Well, there are some particular weapons and spells mentioned, and if we figure them out, maybe I could be of more help." Ginny glanced at him. "I think Luna latched onto the Artemis theory because Artemis was always accompanied by a silver stag, something like your Patronus, I imagine."

"Oh."

"And she wondered about the spells your mum used..." Her eyes flickered up to his scar. "Because Artemis was also the patroness of protecting the young."

Harry frowned. "Would that would qualify as ancient magic?"

"No idea. It should; it's ancient Egyptian stuff. Bill might know." Ginny stood and dusted herself off. She used her wand to clean up the picnic things and levitated the basket in front of them. "But first let's have a go at that chest."

Harry heaved a sigh, pulling his t-shirt off. "Oh alright, you insatiable minx."

"_Insatiable_-?" She whirled, dropping the floating picnic basket when she found herself encircled by a pair of strong arms, facing a wall of toned muscles.

"This isn't _quite _the chest I was referring to." She tipped her head back to meet his teasing look. "But…" her fingers tickled their way up from his waist, making him twitch. "I think we can work with it."

"You're so adaptable."

"Lucky you didn't say 'flexible.' Then I would have had to demonstrate."

"Hmm..." Harry was lost in pleasant speculation for a few moments.

As they walked through the lounge, Harry snagged her round the waist, pulling her down on the couch with him. "I'm glad you're so _flexible_. And inventive." His whispers tickled her ear as he deftly removed the elastic from her ponytail, freeing her hair and running his fingers through it. "Not to mention creative."

"Don't forget innovative and ingenious."

"How about incorrigible?" he suggested between kisses.

"Definitely." She squirmed against him.

"And deviously distractive," he mumbled against her neck. "You could almost make me forget about that blasted trunk."

She grinned. "Delightful."

A muffled "_pop_" from the kitchen startled them. Harry hastily pulled his shirt back on and straightened his glasses.

"It's Winky," Ginny whispered. "Mum sent her, I'm sure."

"Right," Harry answered hazily. "Um. Yeah. What was it we're supposed to be doing here? Oh, right, the trunk."

Ginny straightened her clothes and pulled her hair back into its customary ponytail while Harry dragged the trunk to the table. He tried and retried spells with no success. With a disgusted sigh, he took off his glasses and cleaned them on the hem of his t-shirt. "Any ideas?" He looked hopefully at Ginny.

Ginny's gaze shifted from his eyes to a spot on the wall just over his shoulder, then back to his eyes again.

"Wow, you really do have her eyes," She looked back at the photo on the wall. "Without your glasses it's even more noticeable." She frowned. "Hmmm."

"What?" Harry asked, glancing up at the photo of his parents on the wall. His mum winked at him.

Ginny just put out a hand for silence. Her fingers stroked her eyebrows as she paced. "I've seen something recently, where was it…about eyes…. Oh…" She stopped pacing and frowned, looking disappointed. "Oh, I remember. It was just a film," she sighed.

"What?"

"Ah, just the old 'you have your mum's eyes,' thing, I guess," Ginny looked a bit embarrassed. "You know my mind, always running off on a tangent; I guess it reminded me of a film we watched awhile ago, where they used a scanning thing to identify people by their eyes. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, James Bond," Harry nodded.

"Well, that metal thing on the trunk is oval, like an eye shape," Ginny shrugged. "Maybe your mum was a science fiction fan."

"But I don't really have her eyes, a retina scanner wouldn't be fooled," Harry said.

"She would've used magic though," Ginny noted. "Not a real scanner. Or she could've set it to open for you even when you were a baby--but you didn't have glasses then. Take them off and try it. Can't hurt."

Harry hesitated, then sat in the chair and aligned his eye with the oval. "Now what?"

"I don't know, tell it to open."

"Open up," Harry commanded. "Um, _Alohomora_?" He gasped and fought to stay still and keep his eyes open when he felt a soft puff of what felt like air against his eyeball. He heard a soft click and reached to push up the lid.

* * *

"What do you think Harry and Ginny are up to?" Hermione wondered, flipping pages in an old spellbook. 

"I imagine the same thing we'd be getting up to if I had my own house," Ron said sardonically. He winced. "Ugh, nasty mental image; that's gotta go." He quickly withdrew a tiny silver strand from his temple and tossed it to the floor. "Ah, better. Um, I imagine they're degnoming the garden or something," he said, nodding sagely.

Hermione huffed and glanced at her watch, which indicated a new message had come in. "Wrong answer, on both counts, Ron! They've got the trunk open! Let's go!"

* * *

"What in the world is this?" Harry flipped through notebooks of handwritten pages. "It's all Greek to me." 

Ginny craned her neck to look over his shoulder at the notebook in his hands. "You're right, I think it is Greek. Maybe Hermione will know how to translate. She should be here any minute. I sent her a message."

As if on cue, the Floobell rang. "Come in," Harry said softly, giving Ginny a grin when Hermione and Ron burst through the swinging door from the kitchen.

Hermione immediately grasped a notebook while Harry explained how they had finally opened the trunk.

"Harry, have you any parchment?" Hermione asked.

"Erm, sure, hang on." He pulled several sheets from a desk drawer. "Here."

"Thanks," she said absently.

"You can read Greek?"

"Translator spell," she answered tersely, one finger in the notebook to mark her place while she scribbled frantically on the parchment Harry had brought her.

"Can I help?" Ginny asked.

"Erm, so far it's just random research on Greek myths." Hermione seemed reluctant to share the task. "It might be best to just have one translator, so we don't have variations on translations."

Harry saw Ginny take on a mutinous look. He casually reached for her hand. She frowned up at him and he gave her a tiny shrug and apologetic smile. "While she's doing that, why don't we plan a little back-to-school party here tomorrow?"

She followed him into the kitchen. "What's to plan? Tell Winky to stock up on crisps and Butterbeers and crank the Wireless."

Harry turned, capturing her in his arms and pressing her back against the wall. "Let Hermione do her thing," he murmured. "Makes her feel useful and gives us more time to do this." His lips teased her ear and neck.

"We could get it done faster if she'd let someone help," Ginny said, still sounding a bit tetchy.

"Probably, but she'd still be determined to go through everyone else's translations, which would just waste more time. Just let her be. I think she's jealous that you found a way to open the trunk, and this is her way of being indispensable. She just wants to help."

"I know," Ginny sighed. "Alright then, what do we need to do for this party?"

"Well, I was thinking we'd just tell Winky to stock up on crisps and Butterbeers while we crank up the Wireless."

"Good plan." Ginny nodded, keeping a straight face. "Winky?"

"Yes Miss Ginny!" Winky materialized from the pantry.

"What do you think about hosting a little gathering tomorrow?"

"Oh, that will be fun, Miss!" Winky clapped. "How many guests?"

"Erm, let's see..." Harry frowned, dropping into a chair. "About seven? Maybe nine if Tonks and Lupin come. We'll just be hanging around, so we'll need some snacks, sandwiches and drinks. Dobby is welcome to join us, of course." Harry grinned at the little elf.

"Dobby is busy at the school, Master, sir. They is getting ready for students." She looked at Harry shyly. "Can Winky work at Headquarters while Master is at school? Even though the house is no longer Master's? Winky would be lonely here."

"Brilliant idea. I'd feel better knowing you're looking out for them. Maybe that'll give Lupin enough spare time to finish that little project we've been working on." He grinned wickedly.

"Why not just turn her into a giant canary? The twins already have that perfected."

"Ah, but that only qualifies as a prank," Harry explained. "We're aiming for justice."

Ginny snorted. "Poetic justice?"

"Well, cruel irony, at least."

"She deserves whatever she gets, I guess." Ginny shrugged. She glanced at the door. "So, do you want to go back in there?"

"Just a tic, I have to do something." Harry pulled her close for several long moments while he inspected her lips with his own, pulling her hair tie out of her ponytail again. "There. Now try not to make me do that again while we're with Ron and Hermione. Ron gets all twitchy."

"Don't you like my hair pulled back?" She gave him a slight frown, taking the hair tie from his fingers.

"Oh yes, definitely." He nodded agreeably. "I like to rescue it."

"Rescue?"

"Mhmm." Harry gently ran his fingers through the silky lengths. "It begs me to set it free."

Ginny rolled her eyes, laughing. "You are so daft. Come on, let's see what Hermy has accomplished."

"You know she hates it when you call her that."

"Oh yes, I know. That's why I do it."

They emerged and sat with Ron, watching Hermione scribble frantically.

"Hermione, there's no way you're going to translate all those notebooks in one afternoon."

"No, I know." She glanced up. "Can we take these back to Headquarters, Harry? I need to consult some books." She added a few more scribbles to the bottom of her page.

"Sure. I need to find Lupin anyway. He wants me to practice Occlumency while he supervises."

* * *

Harry firmly projected the image of a phoenix while Lupin attempted to use Legilimency against him. 

"Good! Now can you add sound to the projection?" Lupin asked.

"What kind of sound?"

"Fawkes has helped you on occasion," Lupin reminded him. "Think of the time in the Chamber. Phoenix song is encouraging for you, but has the opposite effect on your enemies. Let's use the Pensieve so you can hear it again."

* * *

Ginny tried to make sense of the translations Hermione had completed. "Are these encoded, as well as being in Greek?" she asked in frustration. 

"I think so. We'll have to work on breaking the code. It'll be a Muggle code, spells won't work."

"How do Muggle codes work?" Ginny asked, mystified.

"Look for patterns," Hermione said vaguely. "Pick out every third word and see if it makes a sentence. Or read the words from right to left. Or set the words on a grid without spaces and see if new words are formed with letters diagonally. Things like that."

"I'll get Luna. She has a talent for all things obscure and abstract."

The girls worked together for several hours. Tonks joined them after she got back from the Ministry.

"How was your honeymoon?" Hermione asked politely.

"Oh it was absolutely brilliant," Tonks enthused. "We spent as much time as we could on beaches. Mmm, I love sun and sand."

"You both got nice tans." Ginny grinned. "Topless beaches?"

"You better believe it!" Tonks winked. "Remus looks good with those new sunshiny highlights in his hair, don't you think?"

"Sure," Ginny said blankly.

"Want to hear Remus' latest devious plot?" Tonks' voice dropped as she glanced around surreptitiously.

"Erm, I don't know." Ginny gave her a sidelong glance. "Do I?"

Tonks laughed. "You're going to love it. I can't wait. He's mixing some stuff with Gillyweed, Polyjuice and a little slime from Neville's toad. Polyjuice isn't meant for animal transformations, you see. Without prompt medical intervention, she could be stuck that way."

"But the Gillyweed will give her gills," Ginny mused. "She'd have to stay underwater all the time, wouldn't she?"

Tonks' eyes glittered. "Wouldn't that be unfortunate?"

"So what body of water will be polluted with her presence?"

"I don't think they've officially decided. At one point, they thought she'd be amusing for the giant squid at Hogwarts, not to mention the merpeople, but the twins thought the kelpie in Loch Ness might want some company."

"Tough choice." Ginny nodded seriously. "How will they get her to ingest it? I'd imagine she's pretty careful with her food."

"Most people who are acquainted with Fred and George are." Tonks snickered. "They'll figure it out, I'm sure. Maybe they'll inject it in an Alice band and send it to her from a secret admirer."

"They could sign Percy's name." Ginny scowled. "Prat. Maybe that'd get him fired so he'd come to his senses."

Tonks raised a brow. "There's a thought. I'll have to mention that to Remus." She glanced at the clock. "Time for supper. Let's eat and then we can run out to rent some films."

"Ooh good idea!" Ginny said. "Let's get enough to watch tomorrow for the back-to-school party too. You and Professor Lupin will come, won't you?"

"Wouldn't miss it!"


	25. Back to School

Disclaimer: JKRs world makes a great amusement park.

_**Back to School**_

The teens and chaperones enjoyed themselves at Harry's house. The television, VCR and Ginny's Nintendo64 had been set up in the lounge for the back-to-school party, and between the movies, games and music, it was a cacophony.

Harry's ears were still ringing the next day as he boarded the Hogwarts Express, but he bore the discomfort stoically, knowing it would be worth it when he told McGonagall he'd beaten her high score in Starfox.

He and Neville could have simply walked through the cabinet to go to Hogwarts, but they'd decided to take the train instead. Their girlfriends had prefect duties, Ron and Hermione had Head Boy and Girl obligations, and Harry thought it would be prudent to ride just to keep an eye on any Slytherin activity. Winky and Dobby had already taken their trunks and pets to their rooms, so they had no luggage to contend with.

"Short train this year," Neville observed. "Only half as many compartments as usual."

"McGonagall told Ron and Hermione a lot of students weren't coming back," Harry commented. He hadn't planned to return either. He wondered how he could have been so foolish. _"Leave Ginny and chase Voldemort alone?__ Not one of my better plans."_ He was glad his friends had absolved him of his stupidity.

The train ride was singularly uneventful, other than the fantastic dream Harry had when he dozed off. He was James Bond, infiltrating Death Eater headquarters, doing some serious collateral damage. Ginny completely altered the tone of the dream by kissing him awake to tell him they had arrived.

"Hey Hagrid!" Harry shouted as he disembarked, seeing the half-giant directing the few first-years into boats.

"'Arry! Good ter see yer! Come down fer a drop o' tea tomorra', yeah?"

"Sure! See you later!" Harry held fast to Ginny's hand as she tugged him toward the carriages.

* * *

"Short Sorting, wasn't it," Hermione commented sadly. 

"Yeah." Ron glanced around the Great Hall. "Lots of empty places at the tables."

The food appeared then, effectively cutting off most conversations. Ron wasted no time in filling his mouth to full capacity as Hermione gave him a reproachful look.

Harry stared at the staff table that looked so wrong without Dumbledore. Gradually his gaze drifted to the stool where the bedraggled black hat caught his attention and something began to form in the back of his mind. "Hermione, do you remember one of the Sorting Hat's songs where it said the Founders put brains in it? How is that possible?"

"Fourth year." Hermione said. "The Hat belonged to Godric Gryffindor, and the Founders 'put brains in' to make it a Sorting Hat, so the Hat could continue to sort students based on the House values the Founders established."

"But how?" He lowered his voice significantly. "What if someone put more than brains in it?" It was one of Gryffindor's relics, after all.

"It's not like that," Hermione frowned. "It said _brains_, not _souls_. I suspect it's something like the portraits. Or the ghosts." she nodded at Nearly Headless Nick as he passed by. "They transferred an imprint of themselves into the hat somehow."

Harry finally turned to his plate, lost in thought.

* * *

"You were awfully quiet during dinner." Ginny snuggled next to him on the couch in the Gryffindor common room. 

"Sorry. I feel like I'm trying to remember something that's just on the edge of my mind."

"That's the problem then. You're trying to think too hard. Your brain is playing hard to get. We have to sidetrack it." She pushed herself behind him to begin working the knots out of his shoulders and neck. "Luckily for you, I am an accomplished master of distraction techniques."

"My brain is playing hard to get?" Harry turned to give her a quizzical look.

"Mhmm." Ginny smiled impertinently. "Just like you."

"I think Hermione used the word 'obtuse,' rather than hard-to-get."

"That's alright. I have years of experience wearing you down," she said drolly.

Harry chuckled. He leaned back to pin her behind him. "But back then, you didn't really want _me_, you wanted some fairytale hero."

"Good thing I grew up and learned to like the real you better." Ginny smiled, her arms slipping around his neck. "Hermione was awfully smug when you finally started to catch on last year. You know how she is when she's right. Nearly unbearable."

"Speaking of Hermione..." Harry's eyes closed as he leaned his head back. "How is she doing with the notebook translations?"

"The translating seems to be going fine." Ginny played with his hair at the nape of his neck. "Unfortunately, none of it makes sense yet. We're still working on the code."

"I wonder if it's a Marauder code," Harry mused. "Maybe Lupin could shed some light on it."

"Maybe. We'll have to ask him. Have you talked to Bill about that, ah, curse-breaking project?" Ginny asked.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he carefully surveyed the common room. "No. Lupin did though, and Bill wants me meet with him to show him the, erm, _items_."

"When?" Ginny asked.

"This week, maybe." He shrugged. "I thought you could join us, if you wanted to. Bill just wants to take a look. I doubt we'll be attempting any destruction, so it probably wouldn't be very exciting for you."

"You think I'm some sort of adrenalin addict? I can handle a boring meeting with my brother. Though we may want to avoid having the meeting in his office," Ginny wrinkled her nose. "I can only imagine the fantasies he and Fleur have been acting out on his desk."

Harry's lip curled. "I really don't need visual images of your brother and Fleur."

"Ha, try one of Charlie and Luna," Ginny huffed.

Harry sat up and turned to look at her more directly. "They're pretty serious then?"

"Luna might be my sister-in-law before Hermione."

"I knew they'd gone out a few times..."

"Oh yes," Ginny said dryly. "Luna told him the Death Eaters are kidnapping pureblood witches, and virgins are a premium. She looked a bit smug, so I have to assume Charlie saved her from that horrible fate."

Harry's eyes widened, aghast. "Is that true? They're targeting …"

Ginny nodded emphatically, all wide-eyed innocence.

"What for? Is there some ritual? Or is it just for their sick, twisted gratification?" Harry ran his hand through his hair, agitated for several moments. Then he paused. "Wait. How can they tell who to kidnap?"

"Unicorn test."

Harry snorted. "I highly doubt Voldemort has a unicorn working for him." He caught the glint of mischief in her eyes. "Nice try, Weasley."

_"Nyah_," she stuck her tongue out. "I suppose now you think you deserve credit for being smarter than Charlie…. Or are you? I'd be willing to bet several Galleons that most of the male population would argue that point."

"Do I detect a bit of frustration in your tone?"

She gave him a look of haughty disdain. "No, no, never you mind. I'll just grab some random bloke in the hallway to bend to my every whim."

"Okay." Harry shrugged. "Mind if I watch? Sounds like I need a few pointers for keeping my next girlfriend happy."

"Sure, that sounds kinky." Ginny nodded agreeably.

Harry stood, grasping Ginny's hand to pull her off the couch. He tugged too hard and caught her tightly against his chest. "Oops, guess I don't know my own strength," he smirked.

Ginny swiveled on her heel and stepped through the portrait hole. Harry followed, looking up and down the hallway. "Perhaps we need to look over this way." He pointed in the direction of a convenient broom cupboard. He opened the door, and lightly pushed Ginny inside. Gleefully, he threw the door shut and leaned against it from the outside. Part of him thought it'd be hilarious to grab Colin or Dennis Creevey and toss in the closet with Ginny. He frowned as the beast in his chest snarled. Perhaps not.

An absence of protests from the dark little room prompted Harry to yank the door open again, suddenly afraid she'd been injured when he'd pushed her inside.

"Nice to meet you, mister random bloke." Her voice was husky and amused. She snatched his tie and dragged him in with her.

"Do you come here often?" he asked teasingly, shutting the door with a sharp snap.

Ginny chuckled wickedly, clicking her wand on the doorknob. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"So, this is broom cupboard number one." Harry glanced around the small space. "How many will it take to convince me that they're fun places to visit?"

"Just the one," Ginny's arms were already around his neck. "But you'll probably have to try several dozen just to be sure."

* * *

Several weeks later, Ron patrolled the hallways, dragging his feet. He cringed every time he opened doors to check empty classrooms or broom cupboards these days, always fearing the sight that would inevitably meet his eyes. Over the past two months, he'd caught Harry and Ginny snogging more times than he could count. He suspected they planned it on purpose, because he knew they could lock him out if they really wanted. The night he happened upon them after Hermione's birthday party had left him with a particularly vivid memory that had taken two tries at extraction to eradicate, and it still wasn't completely gone. 

He'd already rousted several couples from their trysts following the Halloween feast. As he continued down the halls, he reflected irritably how Ginny and Harry always seemed to know in which part of the castle he was on duty. Either they purposely searched him out on the Map or Ginny was checking the patrol schedule. "Probably because I'm the only one who doesn't give detentions," he muttered. He flicked his wand at yet another broom cupboard.

* * *

Hermione was alone at her desk. Her fingers tapped out an odd rhythm as she let her eyes slide out of focus, smearing the words on the paper into splotches. "Dots, patterns of dots…" she muttered. She grabbed a piece of parchment and turned it transparent, laying it atop the first sheet of decoded notes. She began underlining certain words with her quill. She turned the page and aligned the clear parchment up with the words again, erasing or adding a line here or there, then flipping back to the previous page to check it again. She tested it against several more pages, her face shining with triumph. She made the parchment solid white again, leaving clear gaps over the lines she'd made. Her mind, as logical and Muggleborn as Lily Potter's, had been uniquely equipped to break the code. "Just like an answer key for those fill-in-the-circle tests," she said triumphantly. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Harry." 

She skimmed over the new details emerging from the notebooks, looking puzzled. Suddenly, her expression turned incredulous; her eyes widened with shock and disbelief. She continued working late into the night, copying out the entire contents of the translated notebooks. As she finished the final page, she sat back with a deep sigh, worriedly chewing her lower lip. She massaged her eyelids with her fingertips. "Harry is going to have kittens," she said aloud, gathering the notebooks and sheets of parchment to lock away. As she was leaving her room, she paused and turned to add a password and extra concealment spells to the hidden drawer she'd added in the bottom of her trunk. She glanced around her room one last time before setting off for her turn at patrolling the castle.

* * *

"Hermione?" Ron knocked on Hermione's door through the small kitchenette they shared. "Are you awake?" He frowned. Hermione never overslept. However, she'd worked late and then had patrol duty during night. "She must be catching up on some sleep," he mumbled as he scribbled a note and slid it under her door. He whistled jauntily as he strolled down the hall. 

At the Gryffindor table, Ron spotted Harry, Ginny, Neville and Luna. The Ravenclaw girl often sat with them at meals, which had spurred other students to migrate to other tables for meals as well. Hannah took her prefect duties seriously and always sat at the Hufflepuff table, but Harry wondered how much longer it would be before she passed the table monitor duties off on the younger prefects.

"Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked, looking at her watch.

"She was up late working, then she was scheduled for patrol duty." Ron sat with his friends and began filling his plate. "Maybe she'll come out and watch us fly later."

"No, I mean where is her hand on my watch?"

Everyone immediately yanked their wrists before their eyes.

"Why would her hand disappear?" Ginny whispered fearfully.

Harry unstrapped his watch, leaning over to observe Ginny's wrist. "Does it disappear when someone takes their watch off?"

"Oh, yes, of course," she answered, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry to raise such an alarm. I guess she must have taken it off to shower or something. I suppose it disappears when it's not getting a reading."

Ron, who claimed to be starving just moments before, seemed to have lost his appetite. "Yeah, I'll just run up and check, shall I?"

Harry and Ginny shared an uneasy glance. "I think we're finished. We'll come too. Maybe we can convince her to take a break."

Neville and Luna stood to join them, and the group left the Great Hall. They traveled the corridors in silence and ascended the stairs. Ron knocked on Hermione's door. He chewed his lip worriedly, glancing at his friends. "_Alohamora_." He tried various other unlocking spells before Ginny roughly shoved him aside. She had the door open within moments.

"Hermione?" Ginny called into the empty room. She darted into the loo and kitchenette. "She's not here," she said tensely.

Ron stared in horror at Hermione's watch, lying on her desk. "What if something happened? She doesn't have her watch on."

Harry steadied Ron's shoulder. "We never had these watches before, and we got out of plenty of sticky situations. She's fine. She probably just went up to the library." Even as he made reassurances, he felt dread creeping through his veins. Something was wrong. "Gin? Could you and Luna check the library and hospital wing? Neville, duck over to Headquarters and see if she's visiting her parents. Ron, is there a log or reports she'd have to fill out for patrol duty?"

The others scurried off while Ron numbly led Harry to the logbook where prefects and Heads signed in and out. Hermione's name was written very clearly next to the time she had begun her patrol.

"Who had patrol before her? Could she have run into them?" Harry asked, motioning Ron to flip the page.

Ron's heart sank when he saw the names of two Slytherin prefects on the previous time slot. "_Shit_," he whispered, looking to Harry with haunted eyes.

"Ron, relax," Harry commanded. "All she has to do is say something about the Order and she'd be transported to the Owlery as a diricawl, remember? She signed the loyalty oath like we all did."

Ron nodded. "But what if she can't talk? What if she's too badly injured? Or worse." He closed his eyes.

"Ron, I need you to think."

"Right." Ron took a deep, shuddery breath. "We have to find her." He massaged his temples. "Let's check the Owlery first, then, erm, trace her patrol route… and we need McGonagall to interrogate those two Slytherins."

Harry nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Two hours later, they were no closer to finding Hermione. Neville and Luna were poring over the Marauder's Map, searching for her name. 

Harry paced. Suddenly he clapped his hand to his forehead.

"Oh Merlin, no." Ron nearly whimpered. "Not the scar." Ron knew from experience, scar pain never boded well. Ron had found her wand on the floor when they'd retraced her route and strongly suspected she'd been taken against her will.

"No," Harry answered shortly. "DOBBY!"

_Pop_.

"Yes Master Harry, sir?" The little elf beamed with pleasure at being summoned.

"Dobby, we can't find Hermione," Harry said urgently. "Do you know where she is?"

The house-elf screwed his face up tightly, clenching his little fists. When he finally opened his eyes, he looked frightened.

"Dobby's sorry, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby does not know the place. Dobby cannot tell you where it is."

"Can you go to her?" Harry asked, swallowing his heart, which had lodged up in his throat. "Is she alone?"

"Yes, Master," Dobby answered. "Dobby can go there. But Dobby cannot tell if she is alone."

"Wait." Harry glanced apprehensively at Ron, dropping his voice to a whisper. "She's not underwater or anything, right?"

"No, not underwater," Dobby denied vehemently, shuddering. "Just very, very dark."

"Ron, give him her watch." Harry instructed. "Dobby, strap that on her wrist and hang onto her. If she's injured, it'll Portkey her straight to St. Mungo's. You'll have to explain to them who she is, and stay with her."

"What if she's not injured, but just Stunned?" Ron finally found himself capable of speech again. "What if she's been Obliviated and can't remember how to use the watch?"

Harry closed his eyes. "Dobby, just get the watch on her. We'll summon her from there if it doesn't Portkey her. We'll go to the hospital wing and wait."

The boys contacted the rest of the group and headed up the stairs to meet and update them on the events that had transpired.

"Harry," Ron said in a low, worried tone. "When Dobby said it was very, very dark where Hermione is…did he mean dark like no lights, or _Dark_ like Voldemort?"

Harry shot a worried look at his friend before answering. "I don't know." Harry's own interpretation of Dobby's choice of words was that Hermione's _mind_ was dark, meaning she was unconscious. She couldn't be…_dead_…because Dobby eventually located her, but...

* * *

Ginny sat on a hospital bed, staring at her watch. "Where is she? Why is this taking so long?" she fretted. 

Finally, she shrieked, "There! Her hand is back!"

"Wait," Harry commanded, just as Ginny moved to Summon her friend. "I don't know what would happen if we tried to Summon her while she's being Portkeyed. Just wait a few seconds."

"What the hell are you on about!" Ron snarled. "What if those few seconds cost her life!"

"What happens if you interfere with a Portkey? Think she'd live through that?" Harry shot back. "Dobby is with her. He would protect her with his life, and I've seen elf magic. Even Lucius Malfoy wouldn't mess with him."

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Harry Potter?" Ginny asked sharply.

"What?"

"The old Harry would've gone charging off on a noble steed to rescue the damsel in distress with nary a second thought," Ginny scowled. "He was a man of action."

Harry met her gaze. "The new Harry has learned a very important lesson about utilizing his friends' talents and delegating responsibility. Dobby was the best choice for this. There's too much at risk to screw this up."

Ron stared down at his sneakers. "This was planned," he said. "Someone took her for a reason."

"Of course." Harry shook his head bitterly. "But is it because she's Muggle-born or because she's friends with me?"

"She's not been moved yet," Ginny said anxiously. "Can I get her now?"

Harry hesitated before nodding.

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey." Neville's voice was barely a whisper as he disappeared, heading for the matron's office.

Within moments, Hermione's too-still body arrived, clutched in Dobby's grasp. Dobby looked terrified and pale, shuddering as he held her shoulders.

"Merciful heavens, where has this child been?" Madam Pomfrey rushed in, levitating her charge to a bed and immediately taking over.

"Mr. Potter, fetch the Headmistress if you would, please."

Harry nodded, his expression bleak. He sent a Patronus message to McGonagall. He knew she had the two Slytherins in her grip right now, and didn't want to interrupt in person.

"What happened to her?" Ron turned to the closed curtain, distraught. "She looks like she did that time she was petrified by the Basilisk."

Dobby just shook his head, ears drooping, eyes huge and sad. He gave Harry an apologetic look and disappeared with a _pop_.

Neville had gone on to fetch Hermione's parents after sending Madam Pomfrey out to her new patient. He guided them to the hospital wing where they waited with the others, looking frightened and frazzled.

"What's happening?" Hermione's mother asked. "Neville just said Hermione was in hospital and Madam Pomfrey was taking good care of her. Is she badly wounded?"

Luna stepped in and gently relayed what had happened, ending with Hermione's current state of unconsciousness.

"So she could be absolutely fine?" her father asked hopefully. "Perhaps she's just sleeping. She had an exhausting night."

"I'm sure she does need to catch up on a lot of rest, sir," Luna agreed. "Dobby can't explain where she was, so we'll need to wait for her to wake up and tell us. She didn't seem to have any injuries, and that's always a good sign, I think."

"She's strong," Neville said firmly. "She's going to be just fine."

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger?" Madam Pomfrey beckoned for them to join her behind the curtain.

"Neville," Harry whispered. "Find Bill." 

Bill and McGonagall arrived together. McGonagall immediately went to confer with Madam Pomfrey while Bill joined the rest of the group. Neville trailed behind with Hannah.

"What's the emergency?" Bill asked, a concerned frown furrowing his brow.

Harry pulled Bill away from Ron.

"Holy bloody hell," Bill groaned. "So you think Voldemort kidnapped her to make her some sort of Horcrux receptacle?"

"I don't know," Harry said worriedly. "But it's some kind of Dark curse." He looked toward the drawn curtain. "She looks like Ginny did, down in the Chamber."

Bill pushed up his sleeves. "There are a lot of curses that can make someone pale and unresponsive. I'll take a look."

Ginny had crept closer and heard the last bit of their conversation.

She brushed against Harry's arm. "She's stronger than I was back then," she said. "And if anyone could fight him off with mental powers, it's her."

Harry made a vague noise of agreement.

"Meanwhile, let's try to figure this out. Voldemort still has one Horcrux that we know of. We need to finish destroying the others as soon as possible. And now we don't know what he's done to Hermione."

"You think he made her into a Horcrux? Dumbledore didn't think Riddle'd do that. Said it was too risky to use something that could think and act for itself," Harry said.

"Well, she's not doing much in the way of acting for herself," Luna commented. "And if she's thinking, we don't know about it. However, it seems out of character for Voldemort to use one of his precious Horcruxes on a Muggleborn."

"What about Legilimency," Ron suddenly interjected. "What if he tried to muck about in her mind for information and messed stuff up? Remember how shattered you were after your sessions with Snape?"

Harry felt sick. That had been a possibility he hadn't wanted to consider. Those sessions had been horrible. Plus, Hermione knew _everything_. If Voldemort had succeeded with his mental assault…

"You are all jumping to conclusions," Luna broke in. "We don't know where she was or what happened to her." She glanced at Neville. "She could have been exposed to any number of…painful curses."

"Madam Pomfrey would recognize effects of the Cruciatus Curse," Harry said curtly, his eyes on the curtain again. He released Ginny's hand, meeting her gaze again before pointedly looking at Ron, who had collapsed on a nearby sofa, his face buried in his hands.

Ginny moved to sit next to her brother, giving him a quick one-armed hug. "Ron, you've got to be strong for her," she urged. "We can't fall apart. We have to figure out how to help her."

"I know. I just... Why didn't I wake up to go with her? Why did she forget to wear her watch? Why couldn't it have been me instead?"

"Snap out of it," Harry said. "Luna's right. We're jumping to the worst possible conclusions. Hermione is here, and she's alive. Those are the most important things."

Ron ran a hand through his hair distractedly. "Yeah," he said hollowly, staring at the curtain around Hermione's bed.


	26. Hubris and Horcruxes

Disclaimer: I have never claimed to be JKR. Ever. In any form. Fiddling with her characters? Guilty as charged.

**_Hubris and Horcruxes _**

"Hey Hermione..." Ron sat on her bed in the hospital wing after drawing the curtain. "I brought you something. You'll never guess what it is. No guesses? Okay, I'll tell you. It's a Muggle newspaper. Ginny had the bright idea that I ought to read to you. She thinks you'll be so offended by the horrible grammar in it that you'll wake up to offer corrections."

He peered carefully at her face for some sign of movement. Seeing none, he sighed and started at the back, reading off some of the advertisements.

"Look at this," he snorted. "This bakery offers bread made of whole grains and raisin juice. Isn't the whole point of a raisin that it was a grape with the juice sucked out? Where do they get juice from a raisin? Must be a Muggle thing." He shook his head. "This paper is stupid." He tossed the paper in the nearest bin and wandered over to a window. "Hey, I can see Hagrid's hut from here. Did I tell you Hagrid got a new wand? He visited Madame Maxime–I think there's a bit of _something_ going on there–and he got a new wand from a wand maker in France. He's even been joining us in D.A. training sessions to brush up on his spell casting."

Ron came back to the bed, kneeling on the floor so he could watch her breathing push the bed sheet up and down, reassuring himself that she was, indeed, alive. He chewed his lip, wondering if Madam Pomfrey had checked to see if Hermione had been attacked by a dementor. Madam Pomfrey had called in specialists and still no one could find anything specifically wrong with her. It had been several weeks already and there had been no changes in her condition.

"I wish it had been me instead of you," Ron murmured, not for the first time, as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You'd have had it all figured out already. I don't know how we can win this if you don't wake up soon. Death Eaters have been attacking Muggles all over. The twins and Lee are selling and installing "security systems" on Muggle houses, which helps, but they could really use your help. And it's going to be Christmas in a few weeks. You don't want to miss that, do you?"

Ginny bounded into the small space, tugging the curtain open and ignoring Ron entirely. "Guess what I brought today, Hermy baby!" she said brightly, carrying a box. She pulled out a CD player that the twins had bewitched to run off magic. "I got the _CATS _Broadway musical soundtrack for you to listen to! Crookshanks helped pick it out. He really misses you, Hermione. I'm going to smuggle him in here so he can listen to the music with you. Be right back!" she chirped as the music began.

_Jellicle Cats are black and white,  
Jellicle Cats are rather small;  
Jellicle Cats are merry and bright,  
And pleasant to hear when they caterwaul… _

"Jellicle cats?" Ron squinted one eye in disbelief. "Is that some other name for kneazles?" He listened attentively for a few minutes before shaking his head. "Muggles are…" He gestured animatedly in a vain attempt to express a strong enough word for "peculiar." Preferably one Hermione wouldn't take offense to. Then again, maybe she needed to take offense at something.

True to her word, Ginny strode back into the hospital wing, toting Crookshanks like a fluffy ginger scarf draped over her shoulders. "Hermy, _dahling_, don't you adore my stole? Real fur and everything! With built in neck-warming and vibrating massage capabilities. Simply gorgeous, don't you think?"

Crookshanks leaped lightly to his mistress's bed and sniffed her from toe to head. He tickled her ear with his whiskers before settling himself on her chest. He purred loudly and began kneading the bed sheets.

He paused and_ mewed_ a soft welcome to his small companion. She had followed Ginny up to Hermione's room. One smooth, fluid motion brought her to his side where she greeted him before proceeding to inspect Hermione in the same fashion he had. She settled in the crevice between Hermione's arm and ribs, her front paws tucked under her furry white chest, looking for all the world like a nesting hen. The cats touched noses affectionately, their eyes half closed.

Ron glared suspiciously at the strange cat. "Do we know she's safe? What if she tries to suffocate Hermione when we're not looking or something?"

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother. "She's just a harmless cat. One of the Slytherin girls left her behind, the dear little thing. I think I should adopt her." She looked fondly and the petite feline and reached to scratch under her jaw. "What do you think, kitty, would you like to be a Gryffindor cat?" Ginny took the loud purring to mean agreement. "You'll need a proper name then. I can't keep calling you 'kitty.'"

Ron, who had been reading the back of the CD case, broke into Ginny's meditation for a good feline moniker. "Hey, there's a song on here about naming cats."

Ginny glanced at the title Ron pointed to before touching a button on the CD player.

_The naming of cats is a difficult matter  
It isn't just one of your holiday games  
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter  
When I tell you a cat must have three different names… _

Ron snickered. "Who knew cats _cared_ what their names are. I mean, they don't even come when they're called, so why bother naming them anything?"

"Cats are too independent to come when they're called," Ginny huffed. "You can request their presence, but they decide whether or not to grace you with it."

_Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum  
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo or Coricopat  
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum  
Names that never belong to more than one cat… _

"Did you see that?" Ginny had noticed her tuxedo cat perk up her ears. "I think my kitty has found a name. Let's try that again." Ron shook his head in a gesture of impatience and irritation. As far as he was concerned, he'd already listened longer than necessary.

Ginny replayed the song and, sure enough, the cat perked up and swiveled her ears at the same point.

"Hm, you like one of the names on that line? Bombalurina?" Ginny tested. Judging by the cat's reaction, she must have hit upon a name the cat approved of. "So that's it then." Ginny grinned. "Though with a mouthful of a name like that, we'll shorten it to Rina, if you don't mind, and save the full version for special occasions."

Ron fiddled with the CD player, changing the song to _Skimbleshanks, the Railway Cat_.

"This song isn't much of an improvement." He paused, noticing a tiny throbbing feeling beginning in his temples "I can't listen to any more cat music." He patted Hermione's shoulder and headed for the exit. "I'll be back after awhile."

Ginny just shrugged and waved absently as he left.

Bombalurina's bright gaze fastened on her new mistress.

* * *

Ginny hummed along with the music. "I wonder if I would have a cat Animagus form," she muttered. "I definitely feel like I could curl up in a patch of sunshine for a nap." She looked enviously at Crookshanks, who had moved to the foot of the bed and rolled on his side, doing an impression of a full harvest moon. "It would be fun to be a cat. I remember Sirius telling stories of the things he did as a dog, and how he even _thought_ differently as a dog…" She blinked suddenly, her mouth forming a perfect "o" of surprise. "Oh my goodness, I wonder if that would work on Hermione…" She patted the two cats on the bed. "I'll be right back, I just have to go grab a book!" 

The two cats exchanged a smug glance.

Ginny returned with a book on animal transfigurations and began reading aloud to her silent friends.

The _snip, snip, snip _of McGonagall's boots on the floor alerted Ginny to the threat of an imminent visitor. "Oh, hello Headmistress." She quickly marked her page and set the book aside.

The stern professor's face relaxed minutely as she scanned the title. "Good of you to keep up on your studies, Miss Weasley, but you know cats and loud music are not allowed in hospital."

"Rather discriminatory, that." Ginny frowned. "Cats are better company than most people. Especially in hospital. Oh, and the book, yes, I was just reading to Hermione, actually. I know she'd hate to fall behind." She smiled winningly.

"Very good of you, Miss Weasley." McGonagall fixed her with a steely gaze. "But you need to lower the volume of the music." She looked at the two cats still comfortably ensconced on Hermione's bed. "The cats can visit for a short while longer. I'm sure Crookshanks has missed her." She looked pensive as she studied the unmoving girl on the bed. Her brow furrowed for a moment before she gave a curt nod to Ginny and turned on her heel to leave.

* * *

Harry had offered to help Lupin and Tonks get set up in the War Room for a D.A. training session. "Tonks sure likes weird shoes," he commented, observing the witch's fuchsia trainers. 

Lupin shook his head. "You don't know the half of it. I swear, she has hundreds of them, in all shapes, colors and sizes."

"Sizes?" Harry asked. "Oh right, I suppose she can morph the size of her feet to fit the shoes she likes. No wonder she's clumsy. I suppose it is rather more challenging to walk when your feet are never the same size two days in a row."

Lupin looked startled for a moment before laughing. "Excellent point. I wonder if she's ever considered that." He gave Harry a conspiring look. "Why don't you suggest she narrow down her shoe collection to test that theory."

Harry shrugged, ambling across the room to the pink-haired witch. When he explained the theory, however, he gave Lupin all the credit.

"Thanks for thinking of me." Tonks shot a lethal glare in the direction of her smirking husband. "I'll have to take this up with our selfless professor whose only concern is my safety and well-being. And I'm _sure_ his method of theory testing has _nothing_ to do with the way he whines about not being allotted enough closet space. He seems to have a thing against my shoes. Rather the opposite of a fetish, actually. He claims some of my shoes actually cause him mental anguish." Tonks seemed to be talking to Harry, but her eyes were locked on the man across the room, and judging by the expressions crossing her face, they were having a whole separate, and thoroughly nonverbal, discussion. Lupin's eyes danced with mirth.

Harry grinned as he watched them. They seemed to enjoy bickering as much as Ron and Hermione. He supposed the making up bit had some appeal as well. And Lupin had tried to break things off with Tonks for awhile for noble reasons, just as Harry had tried to do with Ginny. Harry wondered if that meant he and his friends were adult enough to emulate mature relationships, or if the couple before him were immature enough to act like teenagers. When he saw Tonks stick her tongue out, put her thumbs on her temples and wiggle her fingers, he had to assume the latter. Still, it looked like fun when she sprinted away, Lupin in pursuit.

When Lupin caught her, Harry thought it prudent to give them some alone time. He decided to put a sign on the door and take the D.A. outside flying instead. Walking in on this kind of scene might be educational, but Harry was pretty sure it was not included in a McGonagall-approved curriculum. He quickly left the room, sticking a note on the door as he left for the pitch, summoning his broom on the way.

* * *

"Luna, can I practice a spell with you?" Ginny asked, having spent several days since her visit with Hermione studying ancient magic and transfiguration. 

"What kind of spell?" Luna asked interestedly.

"Well, I was thinking of how you said Artemis had powers of mental healing, and how maybe I could harness some of those. And I was thinking about Sirius Black, who was an Animagus, and how he said his mind worked differently as a dog. I don't know if it'll help, but I thought maybe if we turned Hermioine into a cat, maybe it would let her mind come back." Ginny frowned. "Or something. Anything, really. Any reaction would be better than her just lying there."

Luna narrowed her eyes. "You do know," she said finally, "that you have to be _pure_ to use any powers of Artemis."

"What do you mean 'pure'? You know I'm a pure-blood."

"No." Luna rolled her eyes. "Pure as in virginal."

"Oh." Ginny's cheeks flushed pink. "Well, that's alright, too. Now how do we do this?"

Luna nodded thoughtfully. "That explains a lot," she said vaguely, beckoning Ginny to follow her to the library.

"Sorry? What explains a lot?"

"It is a good idea to stay pure until Harry can defeat Voldemort, you'll be able to help him more that way."

Ginny blinked at Luna in confusion.

"Artemis was a _maiden _goddess, a hunter and fighter; defender of innocence and protector of children," Luna gestured vaguely. "For you to harness her energies–use her spells, essentially--you have to be pure."

"But didn't you say once that you thought Harry's mum had invoked her magic for the spell that protected him from Voldemort's killing curse when he was a baby?" Ginny asked. "As much as Harry resembles his father, I'd wager his wasn't a virgin birth."

"Yes. Mother's love is pure as well. But she was fighting _for_ him, not alongside him. Mothers harness a different aspect of her powers, you see. Like your mum, knitting those wool jumpers. Wool is a symbol of Artemis, you'll remember. Well, as your mum knits, she thinks of you. She feels love and the urge to protect you. Those strong emotions translate to magic and are absorbed by the wool." Luna shrugged, as if it were common knowledge.

Ginny gave her friend a look of surprise. "Well, of course I knew she knitted them with love. I just thought she added warmth charms and things."

"She probably adds charms as well, for warmth and stain-repelling," she shrugged. "but the jumpers she makes for her children have a different magic than, say, one she knits for your dad or anyone else."

"So what was knitted into Hermione's elf hats?"

"Ambition, I suppose." Luna tapped her chin in thought. "It isn't like she was feeling any particular fondness for a certain elf. But that may be why Dobby likes them so well. He has rather unusual aspirations for a house elf."

* * *

Harry looked for Ginny on the Marauder's Map. He finally spotted her in the new all-school common room next to the library with Luna. He sighed. Their pranks for inundating and desensitizing Ron to their snogging had lost all appeal in the weeks Hermione had been in hospital. Not that they weren't still snogging in the occasional broom cupboard, but the humor in upsetting Ron was gone. 

Moreover, since Ginny had been studying so extensively with Luna, her whole attitude had changed. She seemed to be avoiding him. Well, no, that wasn't quite right. She was preoccupied with whatever she and Luna were working on to help Hermione. Harry knew he was jealous and simply missed her. The fact that she no longer seemed interested in pursuing a more physical relationship had not escaped him either. She was still affectionate, but he wondered sometimes if she was losing interest in him.

He frowned. Ginny was just busy working on a solution, he told himself, and he ought to be working on another one. He looked for and found Ron on the map easily. He was with Hermione. Ron and Harry had taken to doing their homework in the hospital wing, thinking if Hermione could hear them talking about all the classwork she was missing, it might wake her up. Their classes had been going quite well, even without Hermione helping with their homework. After the intensive studying and extra work they'd done with Lupin and Tonks over the summer, they found their actual seventh year material to be quite easy. The teachers seemed less inclined to give long homework assignments as well, knowing the D.A. classes would implement and practice many of the skills they were teaching. Having combined classes made a difference too. The older students learned more thoroughly through mentoring younger ones, and the younger ones benefited from the one-on-one tutoring.

Harry cleared the map and put it away before heading for the hospital wing. On his way up the stairs, he met Ginny's cat coming down. He paused to scratch behind her ears. "Ginny neglecting you, Rina? I know how you feel." The cat purred loudly, rolling to expose her snow white belly. "Why don't you go find her and tell her she needs to take a break this evening." He gave her one last pat and she padded off.

"Hey Harry," Ron greeted from the doorway of the infirmary. "Talking to cats now too?"

"Hullo," Harry responded as he entered the room, glancing at Hermione for any change in her appearance. "No. Even though cats do hiss, it's only snakes I can understand."

Ron fiddled with the CD player. "I've already gone over our homework assignments with her, so now she can listen to the music her mum brought over." He pushed the play button.

Harry was surprised. "I didn't know Hermione was a Beatles fan."

"I think it's her dad's. Her mum said when Hermione was little, they would dance to this music. Are these Beatles related to Rita Skeeter?"

Harry laughed and gave him a brief overview of the group. Aunt Petunia was a Beatles fan.

"Well, they're better than Celestina Warbeck."

Harry squeezed Hermione's unresponsive hand. "Hi Hermione. I hope you don't mind if Ron comes to help me for a bit. We need to work with Bill on a bit of a project. We're almost finished I think, and then we'll be back to tell you about it."

Ron gave him a sideways look as they left the hospital wing, bound for Bill's office. "Why didn't you just say we're going to destroy the Horcruxes?"

Harry hesitated. "Well, I figure the real Hermione knew what we were doing with Bill, but if Voldemort is trying to possess her to spy on us, _he _won't. I feel awful suspecting anything like that, but that's why Dumbledore wouldn't teach me Occlumency and ordered Snape to do it instead. Dumbledore figured out that Voldemort was using this mental connection to try to get to _him_, through me. It made me wonder if he'd try it again."

Ron went pale. "You think he made her into a human Extendable Ear?"

Harry shrugged miserably. "I don't know. I doubt there's a test for that sort of thing."

"There are exorcism spells," Ron said after a moment of thought.

"I know, but what happens if she's _not_ possessed and has that spell cast on her? Too dangerous. Maybe Dumbledore would've been able to see what's going on in her head, but I'm afraid having anyone else try could cause more damage. If it's even possible to use on an unconscious person."

Ron shook his head. "I already asked Lupin to try Legilimency on her and he refused. He thinks Voldemort used it against her to such an extent that her mind has to heal and it's a very slow process. He said even gently trying it could cause a massive setback and it wouldn't be worth the risk." Ron unconsciously rubbed his arms, tracing the scars from the Ministry of Magic battle. "Pomfrey said mental damage goes deeper than skin and bones, or something like that."

Harry shrugged. "We all know how huge Hermione's brain is. It takes awhile to heal something that big, that's all."

Ron nodded and tried to smile. "Physically, she's fine." He sighed. "I just want to…I dunno." He gestured helplessly. "I just wish I could be like that prince in her mum's fairytale book that could wake her up." He flushed, embarrassed.

Harry's brows shot up. "Hey, that's an idea, have you tried it?"

"Tried what?"

"Kissing her awake, like in Sleeping Beauty," Harry clarified.

"Erm, yeah." Ron was still pink. "Didn't work."

"Oh," Harry said, disappointed. "Well, that was as good an idea as any."

"Really?" Ron said. "I felt kind of stupid about it."

"I'd have tried it," Harry shrugged. "It's not stupid if it works, right?"

"But it didn't work." Ron frowned.

"You sure you were doing it right?"

"Sod off, git." Ron punched his arm.

Harry rubbed his arm and grinned. "Well, if it worked, you wouldn't have thought it was stupid. Maybe it's a magic number. You have to kiss her eighty-four times to wake her up."

Ron raised a brow. "You don't think it's creepy to kiss someone who doesn't kiss back?"

"Well, what would you want her to do if the situation was reversed?" Harry asked.

Ron had a rather speculative gleam in his eye that made Harry snort and shake his head. "See? I highly doubt she'd mind some snogging, even if it's one-sided. When she wakes up, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to pay you back."

"Thanks," Ron said.

"For what?"

"For saying 'when' she wakes up instead of 'if.'"

"Well of course she'll wake up," Harry said with confidence he wasn't sure he felt. "This is a mental challenge for her. When has she ever lost a mental contest?"

Their conversation had carried them to Bill's office, and they knocked before entering. Harry refused to even touch the doorknob until he heard Bill's voice telling them to come in.

"Shall we move this experiment to the War Room?" he asked. "I think the walls might be stronger in there." He had the supplies and trophies ready in a small trunk under his desk. "Where's Lupin?"

"I'll get him," Harry offered, sending a Patronus message. He sent a message to Ginny via his watch, letting her know as well.

Bill followed them into the War Room, his manner brisk. He opened the trunk and assembled the items on a table near two small cauldrons. "Right. Now as we've discussed, we need a way to trap the soul fragment after breaking the spell seals on the object." He held up something narrow and white. "This is something Hermione was working on. She got two of the four finished." 

"Is that a bone?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Bill confirmed. "It's the hollowed out femur of one of the unicorns Quirrell killed for Voldemort. Hagrid saved the bones in some blessing of foresight. It has a cedar plug as a stopper, and runes and designs carved around the outside to help draw the soul inside and keep it there. It's called a soul catcher, and was designed by Native American medicine men."

He moved over to the table. "Now, Harry and I have been working on this, and we know the spell and potion Voldemort used to regenerate his body required flesh, blood and bone. We're going to assume that he used a similar spell to seal the other containers for his Horcruxes. It was a stroke of brilliance and good fortune that Harry used a Basilisk fang to destroy the diary. Most times, a deadly weapon would not be required to "kill" a book, so it would not occur to anyone, and that's what Voldemort has counted on. But Horcruxes encase a soul, however small a fragment, and must be killed."

"So we could just use Avada Kedavra on these things and have done with it?" Ron looked intrigued.

"Well, no, not really," Bill explained. "First you have to understand that Avada Kedavra came from very ancient Aramaic magic. Originally, it was a healing spell. It is meant to work on something with a soft-tissue body, internal organs and a brain. If we tried it on these, they'd explode and probably cause all kinds of damage."

"How did Dumbldore destroy the ring?" Harry asked, apprehensively eyeing the objects in question.

"Well, we don't really know, but since he wasn't you," Bill said, "he could never have been able to kill Voldemort, and destroying that Horcrux nearly killed him."

"Because of the prophesy," Harry finished.

"Possibly," Bill quirked his lips in a half smile. "Even though Riddle made his Horcruxes before the prophecy was recorded."

"Okay, tell me what to do," Harry met Bill's gaze with firm resolution.

Bill nodded his approval. "First we need your blood."

"Why Harry's blood?" Ginny frowned. "Why can't you use mine?"

Bill looked at her thoughtfully. "I don't know..."

"Would it help or not?" Ginny asked stubbornly.

"It could," Bill frowned, stroking his jaw, voicing his thoughts aloud. "You've been one of his victims as well.

"Alright then…we've got blood of victims, willingly given, rather than enemy blood forcibly taken…bone from an innocent who gave him life is a bone from a unicorn he killed to drink its blood…flesh, well, Lupin insisted on giving that as a Dark creature turned to the light."

"What? No!" Harry cried in alarm. "No, there's got to be another way!"

"Relax, Harry," Lupin reassured. "It's not necessary for me to sacrifice any appendages. I simply had my tonsils removed." He handed a jar over to Harry. "Thanks for expressing so much concern on my behalf, however."

Harry just blinked at the jar he held gingerly by the lid. "You said tonsils, right? Not…something else that starts with a '_T_'?"

Lupin's eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. Then he caught a glint of humor in Harry's eyes and laughed. "No, they're definitely tonsils," he assured. "As _emasculating_ as it was to be spoon-fed lemon ice for a week, I haven't given up anything I would regret. Besides," he indicated the jar loftily, "Those are much too small to be anything else."

Tonks chuckled. "Not to worry, Harry, your little potential future cousins are safe and sound."

"Ooh, we'll babysit!" Ginny crowed. "We always had so much fun when Bill would babysit. Well, the twins and I had fun, anyway…" she said thoughtfully.

"You three were awful," Bill shook his head. "Poor Ron. It's a wonder he turned out as well as he did, really."

"It's a wonder I survived, you mean," Ron retorted. "Once, they told me they could teach me to speak Troll. They had me screaming obscenities at Mum to show off my new skill. The look on her face…. Merlin, I can still taste that soap."

Harry chuckled, turning back to the matter at hand. With an obsidian flake, he nicked the vein in the crook of his elbow, collecting the blood in a phial. Tonks stepped up to heal the small cut and he turned to hand the obsidian to Ginny, who repeated his actions. Bill took the blood and murmured an incantation that caused it to glow white for a moment. The cauldrons already contained salt water, and as Harry poured half the phial in each, he watched the blood dissipate like smoke in the water. Bill handed him Lupin's jar and Harry lit flames under the cauldrons. When the liquid had warmed to the same temperature as the inside of his wrist, he added the tonsils. The liquid had been clear, but suddenly turned murky. As Harry stirred; seven clockwise turns and one reversed, it lightened to a silvery color.

"Now it has to sit for seven minutes," Bill instructed. "This next part is touchy. You have to drip Basilisk venom on the Horcrux until it forms a fissure. When it starts to sizzle, you know it's getting close to the soul piece inside, so you have to add the last drip at the same time you drop it in the cauldron. It should burn a hole through just as it hits the surface. The liquid will keep the soul bit contained. It will need to be heated to a simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Be ready with the soul catcher." Bill brandished the unicorn bones. "You simply take the cedar plug out and dip it in the liquid, and it will draw the remaining liquid and soul bit inside. Then you put the plug back in and spell-seal it closed. Use a permanent Sticking Charm on the cedar plug and Unbreakable Charm on the bone. Any questions?"

"How am I going to do them both at the same time?" Harry asked.

"There should be a few seconds delay between them. One of them will sizzle before the other. I suspect the brooch will wear through first, as it's older and was one of the first he made. It is important to get them both done as simultaneously as possible, though, or the bits will try to find each other and seek vengeance. Or a new host. Either way, not a good outcome."

Ginny stepped forward. "I'll help you." She picked up a pair of dragonhide gloves.

"Thanks, but I don't know if that's a good idea. I'll let you know if I need a hand, but it might only be me that can do this without injury," Harry cautioned.

"So, we're not really destroying the soul bits then?" Ron asked shrewdly. "You're just transferring them into a new container?"

"No, it's a purification ritual," Bill said. "They won't exactly be destroyed, but they won't be Horcruxes anymore. You see, Voldemort would never suspect someone of trying to _clean _his soul, so his protective spells shouldn't be triggered."

"That explains why the snake venom destroyed the diary. He never thought a snake would be a danger to him. And while something violent would happen if anyone tried a Reductor or Killing Curse on the Horcruxes, they aren't set to detonate for simple ingredients."

"Kind of like the story of Achilles," Ginny mused. "Seems indestructible until you find out there's a weak spot."

"Almost exactly, yes," Lupin nodded. Adopting his professor voice, he spoke while watching Harry begin the procedure. "There are different myths associated with Achilles. The most common is that his weak point was his heel where his mother held him when she dipped him in the River Styx. But in Homer's _Iliad_, it was his pride, or 'hubris.' Hubris is hurting people, especially those weaker or less fortunate, for pleasure and superiority. Greek myths usually showed hubris resulting in fatal retribution."

"Five and a half minutes," Bill interrupted. "Start the venom."

"Too bad the Ancient Greeks didn't tell us exactly how to accomplish it." Ginny sighed, as Harry carefully begin dripping venom.

"You were right, Bill." Harry's voice was tight. "The brooch is sizzling first." Very gingerly, he picked the brooch up by the edges and held it just barely above the surface of the silvery potion. As the final drop of venom made contact, he dropped it into the liquid. There was a fraction of a second when everyone held their breath. Abruptly, the potion hissed and billowed out like a bubble with something trapped inside. The invisible force writhed and fought. Harry had averted his gaze as soon as he'd dropped the brooch in, turning back to the locket to finish the process in the second cauldron. Within moments, both cauldrons housed giant bubbles that looked like they each housed a pair of wildcats fighting in burlap bags. It was a fearsome and fascinating sight that should have been accompanied by blood-curdling screams, but oddly, was not. The tension mounted, amplified by the silence.

As the cauldrons steadily simmered, steam rose and the bubbles gradually shrunk down and became thicker, forcing the fighting phantoms within to retreat. Almost simultaneously, the bubbles collapsed, and the contents of the cauldrons turned dark blood red. As the cauldrons continued to steam, Harry measured the amounts left inside. When they reached the halfway point, the steam stopped and Harry plunged the open tips of the unicorn bones inside. The liquid was immediately drawn up, leaving nary a drop behind. Harry capped them both and hissed sealing spells.

Bill vanished the cauldrons, phials and Lupin's jar to the Hogwarts incinerator. Harry held the bones, unsure what to do with them.

"So these are what now, exactly?" he asked.

"The steam that rose was pure water and the only--well, I can't say 'good' so I'll go with 'neutral'--bits of Riddle's soul," Bill explained. "He wasn't pure evil, you know. No one is. The purification process broke down his soul, allowing any uncorrupted bits to escape with the steam. This broke the bonds the soul pieces had with each other, and everything else just sort of crumbled after that. What was left is some pretty nasty stuff, which should be neutralized by the potion. Trapping it inside the bone makes it permanently inaccessible. We're going to take one final step to prevent anyone from using these for any evil reason."

"Are we going to put them in the Mirror of Erised?" Harry asked.

Bill grinned. "Almost. Good guess. For this part, you need to call Fawkes."

"How?"

"Try whatever were you thinking of when you called him in the Chamber."

Harry closed his eyes, recalling the encounter with Tom Riddle. He recalled the stab of righteous anger at Riddle's arrogance, and his heart surged with loyalty and longing for Dumbledore's comforting presence. "Fawkes," he breathed, unintentionally projecting an image of the brilliant bird, wings aloft. He could hear and feel phoenix song thrumming through his veins.

A soft weight landed on his shoulder, brushing his cheek. Harry opened his eyes, looking up to greet the huge, gorgeous bird. "Hullo Fawkes," he whispered. Fawkes dipped his head to capture a stray tear that had escaped Harry's eye to slide under his glasses.

Fawkes trilled softly, a gentle note that seemed to help relieve the gaping wound Dumbledore's loss had left in Harry's chest. Usually, Harry was able to push the realisation aside, but seeing Fawkes had slammed it home. Dumbledore was truly gone. The phoenix's song soothed his pang of grief and Harry sighed, stroking along the bird's neck and back. "We all miss him."

Fawkes turned to survey the others in the room before turning back to Harry, looking pointedly at the two bones in his hand. "There are bad bits of Voldemort's soul in these," Harry explained. "Do you have a place to hide them, where no one can ever find them?" Fawkes bobbed his head. "When you're finished, maybe you could look in on Hermione. She's in hospital…we don't really know what's wrong with her. I don't know if you can help her or not, but she got hurt because of me…" Harry sighed. "It's really good to see you, Fawkes."

Harry imagined Fawkes smiled. There was a twinkle in his shiny black eyes that he hadn't noticed before as the large bird ducked its head. Harry offered up the bones and with a swift flutter and flash of flame; Fawkes disappeared.


	27. Chat, Chappeau

Disclaimer: Still not JKR.

A/N: Every time I opened this document to write, I found myself entertaining the brief hope that the story fairy had come along and finished it whilst I slept. No such luck, though. Maybe I need to leave her a bottle of something under my keyboard…

_**Chat, Chappeau**_

Harry had fallen asleep on the couch in the Common Room, exhausted from draining the Horcruxes. Odd dreams flickered through his head and Ginny watched him, fascinated by the images he projected. She saw a flash of the singing party hat Hermione had received from the twins on her birthday. In a blink, it changed to the Sorting Hat, which said, "You would do well in Slytherin…" before it broke into a Beatles song. The image spun, the song faded and a new vision took its place. A brilliant white, glowing unicorn appeared, rearing, its forelegs pawing the air threateningly. Runes and symbols appeared in gold from hooves to shoulders as the furious animal came closer, ears laid back and teeth bared.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply when a high-pitched scream echoed through his head. He reached to rub his tingling scar.

"That was quite a show," Ginny commented.

"Was it?" he yawned, covering his mouth and pushing his glasses up, glancing around the Common Room to see what he'd missed. "What do you mean?"

"You were doing Occlumency projections in your sleep," Ginny fondly tried to straighten his hair, but gave up, ruffling it instead.

"Oh?" Harry went very still, trying to remember everything he'd been dreaming about.

Ginny chuckled at his slightly panicked expression. "Just a hat and unicorn."

"Oh. Good."

"Why is that good? Did I miss your dreams about Seamus' naughty magazines?"

Harry yawned and stretched again, draping an arm around her casually, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at her suggestive comment. As she leaned into him, he pulled her closer. "Mmm," he inhaled the sweet fragrance from her hair. "I miss this."

She poked him in the ribs. "We're together all the time," she teased.

"Not enough," his voice was still rough with sleep. His eyes drifted closed again.

Ginny relaxed, idly wondering just how he could send projections with his eyes closed. She sighed, watching him sleep again. "One would think being the girlfriend of Harry Potter would be a bit more exciting," she muttered. She finally slipped out of his grasp, intent on getting to the library. She didn't notice his eyes open, or the disappointment on his face as she left the room.

* * *

Voldemort swallowed another pain potion, his head throbbing. He reflected on the images he'd seen this time. Party hats and an enraged unicorn. "_Potter must really be trying to make the most of his last months of life_," Voldemort mused. "_How could anyone imagine Potter would be any kind of adversary? Laughable_." He imagined turning Potter into an annoying insect to be swatted. Or better yet, shot down with a wand so he could rip its wings and legs off, one by one, letting it stumble around, frantically, hopelessly trying to escape… He grasped his wand, squinting as his vision swam and his headache intensified. He dropped to his knees, retching. He cursed fluently, swearing to make Harry Potter's last moments of life excruciatingly painful. 

In the shadows, Snape watched with narrowed eyes; a long, pale finger tracing his lips thoughtfully.

* * *

"So the Horcruxes are destroyed?" Neville asked Ron while they helped set up for D.A. training. 

"Yeah, that's what they say," Ron indicated Bill and Lupin with a nod. "Apparently, there was a weakness Voldemort missed. He figured any attempt to destroy them would use violence, so that's all he protected them from. That's all he knows, I imagine."

Ron glanced at his watch, annoyed by Ginny's perpetual lateness these days. She never helped set up anymore, she was always in the library. He turned back to Neville, who had paused to move some cushions. "So anyway, after the soul bits were released from the objects, the purification ritual caused the mess to crumble and there was nothing left but nasty goo," Ron shrugged. "Seems to me they were taking an awfully big chance, but it worked. Harry said it was like finding the right string to pull to unravel the jumper, if that makes any sense."

Neville shook his head, secretly glad he hadn't attended the 'relic wrecking ritual,' as Harry had dubbed it. He probably would have sneezed at a crucial moment and caused some sort of catastrophe.

Hannah joined them, brushing up against Neville. "Can I help with anything?"

"You could try rousting Ginny out of the library," Ron suggested.

"I'll get her," Hannah smiled. "She gets so involved; she tends to miss her messages."

"Hannah?" Ron hesitated. "Tell me if she's with anyone in the library, yeah?"

Lips pursed, Hannah simply nodded and left for the library.

Ron sighed. "You know, I told Harry I'd kill him if he ever hurt Ginny," he said, shaking his head wearily. "I should have told her the same thing. I don't know what the hell she's playing at. She's been avoiding him."

"She's wanted to date Harry since forever," Neville's brow furrowed. "I can't believe she'd ever want to break up with him."

"He says she's just been busy, working on some secret project," Ron said. "But I dunno…something's off. I mean, she used to _live _to make me gag, snogging him at any opportunity." He rubbed his nose in consternation. "Now, don't get me wrong, I don't miss seeing that around every corner, but the other day he sat by her on the couch and she just patted his cheek and ran for the library. I've never claimed to understand girls, but something is wrong there."

Neville noticed Harry glance at his watch and run his hand through his hair, frowning at the door. When Ginny and Hannah appeared with a group of boys, Harry's eyes lit up for a moment, until he noticed the rest of Ginny's companions. Ginny seemed to notice his expression because she looked guilty and turned away.

"You think she finally realized he's just a regular bloke and got bored?" Neville wondered.

Ron's jaw tightened, seeing the interaction. "Damn it all, I wish Hermione was here," he grated through clenched teeth. "She could talk some sense into that little brat."

* * *

D.A. training sessions had taken the place of both Hogsmeade visits and Quidditch, since neither was allowed anymore. Harry kept himself occupied, immersing himself in his studies and the D.A. He was having odd nightmares at night, usually involving a lumpy-looking snake and an hourglass, with Fawkes smiling and winking at him from various vantage points_. Rather a stupid dream to lose sleep over_, he thought groggily, _phoenixes don't smile_. 

He sat up, squinting at his watch to check the time. It was early, but he noticed with a funny twist of his heart that Ginny was already in the library. Steeling his resolve, he hurriedly showed and dressed, intending to talk to her. He wanted things sorted out before the Christmas holidays, one way or the other. He had adopted a rather fatalistic view. If Ginny wanted to break up with him, that was just one less regret he'd have if he had to die under the domed shield with Voldemort. He climbed the stairs and opened the door to the library.

He saw her in the far corner with the two cats; one on each side of the book she was focused on. Occasionally, one of them would tap a page with a paw. Harry's stomach clenched, thinking about what she might say to him. He watched her for a few more moments. She looked so small and vulnerable, sitting at the huge table, dwarfed by towering shelves of books. He noticed dark smudges under her eyes and wondered if she'd been up all night.

"Ginny?" he spoke softly as he approached, not wanting to startle her.

She didn't seem to have enough energy or reflexes left to jump. She looked up at him; her eyes glazed with weariness, shoulders slumped. "Hi, Harry. You're up early."

"I saw you were up here," he shrugged, pulling out a chair to sit next to her. "Is there something I can help with?"

She shook her head, turning back to her books. "No, thanks."

"Gin," he began hesitantly. He pressed his lips together, unsure of how to proceed. "Erm, I was just wondering…. Is everything okay?"

"Depends on what 'everything' you're talking about, I suppose," she sighed.

"Us." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Something isn't the same, but I don't know what, or how to fix it."

"Oh Harry, love, I'm sorry." She patted his arm distractedly. "I've been working so hard to keep up with all my homework and catch up on the Seventh year classes, besides this idea I had to help Hermione…"

Harry nodded. "I know, but I want to help you."

"Yes, but, you're so busy already, I don't want to be a burden," she looked away.

Harry's shoulders slumped. They'd had some variation of this discussion for weeks. She was simply too independently obstinate to let him help, or even tell him about the idea for Hermione, except to say it was something only she could do. She'd been keeping him at arm's length, if not further.

Ginny checked her watch and tucked a bookmark in the book as she stood. "Let's go get some breakfast," she suggested, standing and gathering her things.

Harry moved impulsively hauling her into his arms. There was one other way to find out how she felt, he thought as he pressed his lips to hers. Her response reassured him, and he quickly dispatched her hair tie to twine his fingers in her long tresses. It'd been days since she'd bestowed anything more than quick kisses on his cheek. He made a noise of muffled protest when he felt her push away from him.

"Harry," she sighed, "We're in the middle of the library. Pince frowns on this sort of thing, you know, and I don't have time for a detention."

He wanted to ask when she started caring what anyone else thought, and the grumpy, disappointed part of him longed to ask when she was going to have time for him, because he was pretty sure it wouldn't happen over the Christmas holidays either. Reluctantly, he released her, noticing she wasted no time in getting away from him to finish packing her books and quills. He wondered if he'd imagined her brief but enthusiastic reaction. He wondered if she'd officially break it off with him, or if she thought they'd just drift away from each other. It didn't really matter, either way. He certainly wasn't going to foist himself on her if she didn't want his attention anymore.

She didn't reach for his hand to go down to breakfast. He stopped at the top of the stairway leading to the Great Hall. "You go ahead. I'm going out to the pitch." He turned away without looking back, heading for the Gryffindor dormitories to retrieve his broom. By the time he reached his room, he collapsed on his bed. He didn't want to fly anymore. He just wanted to sleep.

When Ginny appeared alone in the Great Hall, Ron watched her suspiciously. He had been relieved to see her and Harry's watch hands together.

"Where's Harry?" he asked as she took the seat across from him.

"Going flying he said."

Ron looked at his watch again. "No, now it says he's sleeping."

"Must have changed his mind," she said offhandedly, selecting toast and bacon.

Ron's eyes narrowed. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't mess with him. Don't muck around with his feelings and ditch him. Whatever it is you're playing at, you're…" Ron gesticulated in frustration. "He deserves better than that."

Ginny's eyes narrowed dangerously and her nostrils flared. "I'm not doing anything to him," she snapped. "I've been busy. I've been spending every spare minute in the library trying to…well, working on something _important_ that needs to be done before the Christmas holidays, besides trying to do Sixth and Seventh year homework."

Ron looked suspicious. "Why won't you let Harry help you then? For some unknown reason, he wants to spend time with you," he scowled. "You ranted and raved about him and his secrets, but it's okay for you to do the same thing to him?"

"He's not complaining, I don't see why you have a problem," Ginny snarled.

"Well, he never complains about anything, does he?" Ron retorted. "Stupid git will just sit and take it, no matter what you dish out. Do you two ever fight? No, because he has absolutely no effing spine around you."

Ginny just flashed him a rude gesture and rolled her eyes. She folded a piece of toast around the bacon and left the table, glancing at her watch. On her way out of the hall, she stopped to whisper to Luna, who'd chosen to sit at the Ravenclaw table this morning. Luna fluidly scooped her books back in her bag and followed her friend.

"Merlin, I can't wait to get this over with. Tell me again why I can't just finish it now?" Ginny muttered irritably to Luna as they headed to their first class of the day.

"I think you're ready, but it's three days until the solstice. That's the day we leave for Christmas holidays, so we'll need everything ready."

"You really think it's worth it to wait?" Ginny frowned. "I'm pretty sure the spell would still work. Even tomorrow should be close enough."

Luna sighed. "Yes, it probably would, but Artemis was a moon goddess, and the phase of the moon won't be right until then. To incorporate _all_ the parts of the spell, it should wait. This is a very complicated thing. Trust me when I say you don't want to take chances on experimental spells."

Ginny winced, knowing Luna was referring to her mother's accidental death. She sighed wearily. "I know. I'm sorry I'm so impatient. I just feel like I could have a mental breakdown before then. Harry hunted me down in the library this morning, wanting a snogfest, so now I've got to do that blasted purification ritual again. Then Ron gave me an in-person howler about mistreating Harry." Ginny cursed a blue streak. "Those idiots seriously need Hermione back before I kill them both."

Luna gave her a sympathetic glance. "Just a few more days; you can do it."

They entered the Charms classroom, finding seats near the back. They were whispering intensely when Ron entered the room, taking his seat before glaring at his sister. He looked pointedly at Harry's empty chair and then back at her, clearly blaming her for the fact that he had to attend class alone.

Ginny shook her head, glaring right back, muttering under her breath. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm doing all this for them. Stupid gits are going to regret acting like this. I am feeling a strong urge to hex someone."

"Don't," Luna advised. "You've got to save your magic."

"I'm going to ask Pomfrey for a potion to make me sleep for three days. I can't take this," Ginny grumbled, jiggling her knees and twiddling her quill.

Luna chuckled. "If you do, make sure it's dreamless sleep. You're suffering from an excess buildup of magical essence, besides exhaustion, right now, and it's causing all your tension. One wicked dream and you could release it."

Ginny snorted. "Great. Absolutely bloody spectacular." She was as jittery as if she'd taken a double dose of pepper-up potion with a chaser of triple-strength black tea. "Can I fly at least, you think?"

Luna narrowed her eyes, considering. "Yes, that should be fine. Swimming would be a better source of physical activity, however."

"Yeah, if I wanted to freeze to death in the lake," Ginny retorted.

"Prefect's bathroom," Luna reminded.

Ginny breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. "You're a genius, my friend." She gathered her things, patted Luna's shoulder and headed for the front of the room. She paused to whisper to Professor Flitwick, whose cheeks turned pink as he shooed her out the door.

She sniggered, shaking her head as she ducked into the prefect's bathroom and started the taps filling the huge basin. "I love being a girl. 'Feminine issues' make such a handy excuse to skive off classes." She transfigured her underthings into a bikini and dove into the fragrant, bubble-filled water. The mermaid on the wall flicked her tail and tossed her hair, uninterested in the female swimmer. Ginny swam lap after lap until she was utterly exhausted. She pulled a fluffy towel off the rack and spread it on the floor under a warming lamp. She stretched out to relax, hoping Moaning Myrtle would stay away. She dozed off, dreaming of sunny seashores and summer breezes.

* * *

Harry awoke from his nap feeling irritable. He'd dreamt of the Sorting Hat again, and the blasted thing had been speaking in riddles, trying to tell him to do something. 

He decided it was a good time to go flying to clear his head and improve his mood. As he resolutely headed out of the tower, shouldering his broom, he paused to watch a moving staircase switch directions. He watched as it settled in the direction of the hospital wing, seemingly reproaching him for not visiting his friend. "Fine, I'll just pop up and visit Hermione for a moment first, then, shall I?" he huffed sarcastically.

Hermione was as pale and still as usual. Harry stood next to her bed, touching the back of her hand to reassure himself that her skin was still warm. He noticed her hair had been braided and assumed her mother had been to visit her already this morning.

"I wish you were awake, Hermione," he whispered, drawing up a chair to sit on. He raised the head of the bed so he could pretend she was more alert. "I'm sorry Fawkes couldn't help you. He did sing for quite awhile, though." He paused to stare intently at her face, willing her eyelids to flutter. Not so much as an eyelash moved, and he slumped. He turned away, looking out the enchanted window, spelled to spill sunshine into the quiet little space. He despondently watched fluffy clouds drift by, trying to think of some positive news to share with her so he wouldn't be tempted to unload his problems with Ginny on her. He straightened his shoulders.

"On a good note, the Death Eater attacks seem to have slowed down," he told her. "Lupin is afraid they're saving themselves up for some nasty hits on Christmas, but we've warned the D.A. members to be on high alert and not to be heroes. They've all got enough emergency Portkeys to get themselves and their families to safety. Luna and Hannah went through the magical birth records book for the last ten years to get names of all Muggle-borns and sent members of the Order 'round to each of them, explaining things and setting up wards. They gave them Portkeys set to deploy to safehouses, so I think we've got magical people covered as best we can. Muggles though, well, there's just so many of them, and we have no way to know where the Death Eaters will strike. They've made announcements on the telly and radio, giving Muggles a phone number that connects them to the MLE offices. We reckon it's a good thing Death Eaters would never stoop so low as to use any kind of Muggle devices. If they saw those warnings, they'd be even harder to stay ahead of. Now if we could just keep the captured Death Eaters locked up in Azkaban, we'd be getting somewhere. I have to tell you, Mr. Weasley thought that diagram you did in Ron's notebook about making magic batteries was particularly ingenious."

He watched her for a few more moments, dragging his hand through his hair more than once in frustration. "I wish I could just see what's going on in your head. There is no way I'd risk Legilimency doing more damage though. There must be another way…. Oh!" he blinked. "I'll be right back!"

He dashed out of the hospital wing, headed for McGonagall's office. He reappeared moments later, carrying the Sorting Hat. "Couldn't get through the gargoyle without the password, but _Accio_ worked just fine," he chuckled smugly. "Now, let's see what the hat can do." He settled the brim around Hermione's head. He watched in puzzlement as the hat remained silent. He pulled it off her, loosening strands of hair from her braid, and crammed it on his own head.

"Potter, how nice to look into your mind again," he heard the hat's gravelly voice in his head. Well of course he hadn't heard it talking to Hermione, he thought. It talked _inside_ a person's head.

"Erm, hello," Harry said. "Can you tell me anything about the head you were just on? It's Hermione Granger, and there's something wrong with her, you see, and I hoped you could help."

"That would be a breach of confidentiality," the hat said reproachfully.

"No, please," Harry pleaded. "I don't want to know her thoughts, unless she asks you to tell me something. I just wanted to know if you can tell us how to help her get well again."

The hat seemed to pause in thought. "Well, I see that you are sincere in wanting to help her. Let me try her again. I may not have gotten a thorough look last time."

Harry obliged, leaving the hat on her head for several minutes this time before putting it back on his own.

"Well, she's in there alright," the hat confirmed. "But she doesn't know how to get out. She's sealed herself in several layers of Occlumency shields, and with the damage inflicted by repeated Legilimency attacks, she can't find her way back out. If anyone attempts using Legilimency, even to help her, her mind will add more shields."

"Did it cause more damage when I put you on her head?" Harry worried.

"No, I do not use Legilimency," the hat reassured. "Though I could not communicate directly with her, I sensed very muted emotions through many, many layers. There was fear, but mainly determination. She's working diligently to get back through. It will take some time, but she will find a way," the hat said confidently.

Harry heard the click of heels on the hard floor. He hastily patted Hermione's shoulder. "I'll see you later, Hermione. I think Madam Pomfrey wants to force-feed you some potions right now, and I have to get the hat back before McGonagall misses it."

Not wanting to be noticed, Harry Disillusioned himself before leaving the hospital wing. He banished the hat back to the shelf in McGonagall's office and spent an hour or so on his broom, wondering what to do with the hat's information. It wasn't really anything new. They had suspected as much already. It was reassuring to know Voldemort hadn't broken into Hermione's mind. Still, time was a precious commodity that seemed to be running short, and they really needed Hermione to wake up soon.

Harry put his broom in the broom shed, deciding to search out Lupin.

He entered the castle, heading directly for the twins' workshop they'd set up in an empty classroom.

"Harry!" Fred and George crowed.

"How goes the battle?"

"How absolutely corking of you to ask!" Fred flashed a bright smile that showed entirely too many teeth. "Lupin's told you about the Werewolf Wonders capsules, hasn't he?"

Harry nodded and smiled. He thought Lupin had been happier that day than he'd seen him ever before, with the possible exception of his wedding.

"Well, we've secured the patent for them, and we've got contacts through St. Mungo's to do market research, but obviously they'll be huge sellers." Fred grinned.

"They are less expensive to make, so they're more accessible," George explained. "Essentially, we made a batch of concentrated Wolfsbane Potion--Hermione's recipe, of course--then did a stasis charm, dehydrated the lot of it, filled these capsules and shrunk them down. If a werewolf takes three capsules a day with a glass of water for the week leading up to a full moon, he still transforms, but keeps his mind. The trip around the world thing was fun, according to the Lupins, but they're not comfortable being so far away very often."

Harry nodded. "Makes sense. But that brings us to the next item of business, doesn't it?"

Fred and George sported identical maniacal grins. "What, you mean…"

"Our diabolical plan for a certain former instructor of ours?" Fred's eyes glinted.

"You know, we thought perhaps we ought to send her a little gift," George mused.

"As a 'thank you,' really," Fred continued, "for being such a brilliant source of continuing inspiration."

"Not to mention the driving force of legislation that brings us new customers daily."

"Really, we owe her quite a lot."

"I owe her a bit myself," Harry glanced at the scar still etched into his hand.

"Lupin, though, he swears he owes her the most," George said. "He just really wouldn't be where he is today if it weren't for her. So he's in charge, as we wrote in his contract."

Fred frowned. "He's not in such a bad place these days. I don't see why he should get to have all the fun."

"Well, as much _gratitude_ as we all feel towards her, Lupin has had to deal with a lot more lemons and really deserves the right to make lemonade out of her."

"Now that is a disturbing picture," George's lip curled in disgust. "Why do I see her dressed in yellow with a giant hand squashing and turning her on one of those manual juicer things Muggles use?"

Fred patted his twin's shoulder reassuringly. "It's just the voices in your head. They're friendly, once you get to know them."

Professor Lupin strolled into the room then, interrupting Harry's sniggers.

"Harry! How good of you to stop by! Any news on Hermione?"

"No change," Harry sighed. "The Sorting Hat says she's still trapped in her own Occlumency shields, trying to find her way out."

"Ah, the Sorting Hat. Good idea. Well, I'm sure it knows what it's talking about. She'll come around," Lupin said bracingly. "It's just a matter of time."

"Er, be careful what you touch there, yeah?" Fred interjected, waving Harry away from the work table. "Wouldn't want you to inadvertently test a beauty potion by mistake."

"Beauty potion?" Harry blinked at Fred, not for the first time wondering if the twins shared a brain and Fred got gypped.

George chuckled. "Well, we've been watching the telly quite a lot."

"There are two Canadian doctors who have caused a stir with something called 'Batox,'" Fred added enthusiastically.

"Botox, actually," Lupin clarified. "But we've adapted it a bit."

"You're gonna love this," Fred interrupted.

"You see, Botox is a sort of Muggle beauty potion." Lupin handed Harry a brochure. "They use a needle to inject it under their skin to remove wrinkles."

Harry nodded. He seemed to remember Aunt Petunia mentioning it.

"Well, _Witch Weekly_ has begun advertising a beauty product that is more or less the equivalent in our world." Lupin's lips twitched.

"Dare I speculate on the origin of this product?" Harry asked dryly.

"Currently, it is only available by owl order," Lupin inclined his head modestly. "Conveniently enough, the distributors of this modern magical miracle are now privy to some rather sensitive information."

"Mhmm. I see." Harry frowned, wondering when Lupin had gotten sucked into the twins' convoluted method of conveying information.

"You can't think of an ugly old hag who'd want to order a bit of a beautifying cream?" George grinned and some of the loose puzzle pieces clinked into place.

"Ahhh," Harry breathed. "Brilliant."

"Yes, it has been working rather well, we believe," Lupin said. "It has been marketed most carefully to a select target group. Samples were included in a recent issue of _Witch Weekly,_ specifically in the subscriptions in the Ministry offices."

"Those samples were an actual beauty cream," George said. "We couldn't target her issue specifically, of course, so we placed an ad in the magazine, adding the samples to the ones delivered to the Ministry. They were, of course, free of any suspicious ingredients, developed to do exactly what we advertised."

Fred interrupted, "Tonks sat for the photos so we could do before and after shots. She might have enhanced the results a tiny bit."

Lupin continued, "We've set up a cover company, of course, called _Siren's Song_, to handle these sorts of products."

"What are you doing with this?" Harry held up small shard of glass from the work table.

"Ah, well, that's one of the ingredients."

"Broken glass?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Well, we can hardly go about poking needles in people's foreheads like Muggles do," George snorted. "We grind a bit of glass into a fine powder. That's how the potion penetrates the skin. It's small enough to not cause pain or any actual skin damage, it just causes a bit of a tingly feeling; and allows the rest of the potion ingredients to work."

"What are the rest of the ingredients?" Harry inquired.

"Erm," Fred tapped his lower lip thoughtfully. "It is a closely guarded secret, but I trust you won't take the information to the competition?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "No, I tend not to visit executives at cosmetics companies anyway, but under pain of the Cruciatus, I would not reveal your secrets." He crossed his heart, the way he'd seen Muggle children do at school.

"All right then," Fred clapped his shoulder. "It's called Batox for a reason, see," his voice dropped to a confidential whisper. "Sound it out with me: Baaaattt…Oxxx…. Get it?"

"Bat and ox?" Harry guessed.

George chuckled. "Tricky name, yeah?"

"More specifically, bat wing and ox blood," Lupin clarified.

Harry just nodded, not really understanding--or honestly caring--why those two ingredients would be essential to a cosmetic potion. "So...batwing, ox blood and ground glass for removing wrinkles. Samples at the Ministry. I'm with you so far."

"Sure enough, the samples found their way to the correct person," Fred gleefully continued. "And here, in our hot little hands, we hold the order form from one Dolores Umbridge."

"We debated on sending her a gift, as we mentioned before," George said. "But couldn't think of anyone who'd send her something, and figured she'd be too suspicious to open it, much less use or ingest anything she received anonymously."

"So this appealed to her sense of greed, with the free samples, and her vanity," Harry raised a brow and gave a soft round of applause. "Fantastic. And now she's _paying_ you," he added in awe.

Lupin quirked a brow. "I hope this fulfills that particular obligation in my contract."

"Not so fast." Harry paused. "Beauty cream doesn't really constitute revenge."

"Well, now that she's a dedicated customer, we can add 'improvements' to her potions."

"Ahhh, now it gets interesting." Harry's eyes narrowed.

"It always was interesting." Fred appeared tragically wounded.

"We've taken the liberty of customizing this particular customer's potion," Lupin said.

"Added werewolf saliva, gillyweed, toad slime..." George ticked the ingredients off on his fingers.

"What will werewolf saliva do?" Harry frowned. "I can't see any benefit in turning that pain-in-the-arse into an actual werewolf. She doesn't need teeth to do any more damage."

"Oh no." Lupin shook his head emphatically. "She would need a bite to become a werewolf. No, you see, the gillyweed should bind with the werewolf saliva, causing some rather interesting aquatic tendencies."

"So when will you test it?"

The predator in Lupin was never more apparent than the look on his face right now. "Soon."

* * *

The morning Hogwarts students were to be released for Christmas holidays dawned crisp and clear. Or at least that was the view Ginny had from the enchanted window near Hermione's bed. She had been maintaining a vigil at her friend's bedside since midnight, chanting incantations until she was hoarse. Finally, as pink streaks of dawn appeared on the horizon, Ginny waved her wand in a complex pattern over Hermione's inert body, finishing with a flourish and a soft incantation. A muffled _snap_ reminded Ginny of Harry. It was exactly the sound of him popping her elastic hair ties off her ponytail with his wand. She automatically reached for her hair before realizing that wasn't the source of the sound. Her eyes widened the sound snapped again and Hermione's body trembled on the bed. Several popping noises later, Hermione's body had been replaced by that of a small caramel-coloured cat. If Ginny hadn't been terrified that she'd done something wrong, she would've been amused to notice that the cat had Hermione's bushy hair. 

Keeping her fingers crossed, Ginny stared intently at the little animal, as if she could make her stir simply through force of will.

Crookshanks and Rina pelted through the hospital wing door, leaping on the bed to pounce on this new feline friend. They purred and made chirpy greeting noises as they nuzzled her, tickling her ears with their whiskers.

Ginny sucked a breath in through her teeth, wondering if she was imagining the twitch of the cat's eyelids. As the cats continued their verbal and physical encouragement, Ginny added her own. "C'mon Hermione, please move, you can do it. Wake up for Christmas. Wake up for Ron," she pleaded.

As she watched with growing excitement and no small amount of trepidation, the cat began to stir. First with small movements of her toes and paws, moving up to her legs until finally she opened her brown eyes.

"Oh Merlin," Ginny breathed softly, "Hermione? Can you hear me? Are you in there?" Hermione blinked and focused on Ginny's face.

"Hermione, don't be mad, please, I had to turn you into a cat to wake you up," Ginny said in a rush. "Hermione? Do you understand me?"

"Meow?"


	28. Happy Holidays

Disclaimer: It's a bit weird to be writing about Christmas in the middle of summer (summer for me, anyway), but since I have a snowball's chance in Hades of ever being JKR, it seems appropriate.

**_Happy Holidays_**

Harry awoke to the insistent blaring of his watch alarm. When he saw the message was from Ginny, his heart seized. He was out of bed and dressed in a flash, sprinting towards the hospital wing. He hadn't even read the message, but seeing her name on 'Hospital' accompanied by a strident alarm was enough to send a jolt of fear through him. He met Ron along the way, looking as disheveled as he felt.

"What d'you reckon?" Ron panted, having run flat out from his room.

Harry just shook his head, worry furrowing his brow as they hurried down the hall. "I haven't even read the message. What's it say?"

"Nothing," Ron growled, "Just to get to the hospital wing."

The boys crashed through the door, panic taking precedence over the instinctual need to be quiet in hospitals.

"Ginny!" Ron gasped, "What the ruddy hell is going on?"

Harry just blinked at the sight. Ginny was sitting cross-legged on Hermione's bed, absolutely glowing in a pure white toga, her hair flowing loose around her shoulders as three cats cavorted around her.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron's expression was desperate.

Ginny just smiled and pointed to the fluffiest cat Harry had ever seen. He stared in shock. "Is that a cat? Looks like quite a small sheep."

The fluffy cat turned to glare at him, ears laid back.

"Whoa, that _is_ Hermione," he said, taken aback.

Ron had collapsed into a chair and the cat promptly leaped into his lap, purring and rubbing her chin along his jaw. She put her paws on his neck and nibbled his earlobe.

Ginny smiled tiredly. "Yes, it's Hermione."

Harry approached the bed stiffly, "Are you alright?" He made no move to reach for her or touch her.

She struggled to keep her eyes open. "Merlin, Harry, I'm so tired. I've been here since before midnight. I haven't even told Luna it worked. Could you?"

Harry nodded and sent a short note. "How about Mr. and Mrs. Granger? What will they think? This isn't permanent, is it?"

"No." She yawned and her voice slurred. "It's just to help her mind heal. I got the idea from Sirius. 'Member he said in Azkaban it was easier to think as a dog?"

Harry nodded, "Why don't you rest a bit? You look shattered."

"Thanks," she said sardonically. "You really know how to flatter a girl."

Harry just shrugged, turning away as she crept under Hermione's blankets where she fell asleep almost instantly.

Luna soon slipped into the room and looked pleased to see the fluffy cat winding itself around Ron's neck. She smiled in satisfaction, sitting on the bed to check on Ginny. "Ginny's got a fair case of magical and physical exhaustion, but she'll be fine with a bit of rest. I did warn her that might happen."

"What exactly did she do?" Harry asked. Ron stopped stroking the affectionate feline to listen.

"It's rather complicated," Luna mused. "She really ought to be the one to tell you, but I can give you the basic idea, I suppose. She created a ceremony using some ancient magic, harnessed from Bast and Artemis, along with advanced Transfiguration to force Hermione into a cat form. That's the simplest explanation. It had to be done at the right phase of the moon, and Ginny had to go through several purification rituals," Luna gave Harry a sidelong glance. "She didn't want anyone else to know, in case it didn't work. She didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, you see."

Hermione leaped from Ron's lap to the bed where she insinuated herself under Harry's hand for a pat before standing on her hind legs to touch her nose to Luna's.

"So this will help her break through her Occlumency shields?" Harry asked. "I put the Sorting Hat on her the other day, and it confirmed she had blockaded herself in so efficiently she couldn't get back out, especially after repeated mental attacks."

Ron glanced up sharply. "You didn't think to mention that until now?"

Harry looked abashed. "I'm sorry, it was a spur of the moment idea, and it really didn't tell me anything we didn't already suspect. She's in there, but she has to find her own way out. But this..." he swung to face the cat again, who was now expressing her appreciation to the exhausted redhead curled up in her bed, "This is amazing." He shook his head in awe.

"I'll have some things to say to Ginny about experimental magic too, when she wakes up," Ron frowned. "But at least Hermione isn't unconscious anymore... So when we can change her back?" he asked eagerly.

Luna blinked owlishly. "She'll have to stay like this until she recovers enough to turn herself back. This is more like a forced Animagus transformation than transfiguration. Ginny wanted her to keep as much of her own mind as possible."

"So it's easier for her to learn to undo an Animagus transformation than to burrow out from her own mental shields?" Ron was aghast, remembering it had taken three years for the Marauders to learn to transform.

"Well," Luna said, cocking her head to observe the cat rolling ecstatically on the bed. "She seems a bit happier this way, don't you agree?"

"I suppose…" Ron frowned, watching the cat frolic. He looked back at Luna. "So, how much of her is cat, and how much is Hermione?"

"Therein lays the brilliance of the plan," Luna smiled vaguely. "The structure of a cat's brain is unique. Cats are independent and have highly efficient methods of communication: their ability to vocalize and use body language, of course, as well as mental telepathy."

Ron's eyebrow rose skeptically. "Telepathy?"

"Well, not in English, of course," Luna shrugged. "And some people are more receptive to it than others, but cats can project ideas or suggestions. It's fairly well documented and generally accepted by cat-kept people."

"'Cat-kept people?'" Ron repeated faintly.

"No one can truly _own_ a cat," Luna explained, as if to a toddler. "Cats choose people." Seeing Ron's still-obvious disbelief, she continued. "Take Crookshanks here as an example. When Hermione entered the pet shop, she fully intended to purchase an owl, right? Now, consider this: how difficult is it to change Hermione's mind? And what could cause her to make a split-second impulse decision to purchase something as frivolous as a half-Kneazle when she had previously had her heart set on a highly useful owl? It's rather simple. Crookshanks chose her. He planted the suggestion in her mind."

"Then why didn't he tell her about Pettigrew the rat?" Ron asked.

"I don't think Hermione's mind is very easy to penetrate," Luna shrugged. "Perhaps she didn't get that message. But then, didn't you row about her cat eating your rat? She wasn't very distressed by it, so perhaps Crookshanks planted the suggestion of dislike."

Ron had picked the fluffy cat up again. He looked at her, then at Harry. "You think cats can communicate?"

Harry gave him a sardonic look and hissed a few choice words in Parseltongue.

"Er, right, sorry," Ron shrugged, setting the squirming feline on the floor. "I guess cats must be a bit smarter than snakes. Well, this one is." He scratched his head, watching her chase a dust mote in a sunbeam. He looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Say, Harry, did Sirius ever mention, when people would pet him, how his human body corresponded to his animal body?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Maybe you better ask McGonagall about that one."

"No!" Ron protested, his ears going crimson. "Only, Hermione wouldn't appreciate a pat on the head, where the cat _does_, you know? And she rolls over for me to scratch her tummy and there are cat girl bits there, where Hermione…erm, well, perhaps that's a bit too much information, yeah?"

* * *

"So, why'd you turn her into a cat?" Ron asked his sister as they toted their luggage through the castle to the War Room later that day. "Wouldn't an otter have been her Animagus form, since that's her Patronus?" 

Ginny shrugged. "Cats are easier for me to understand. They kind of have their own language. Plus, using the powers of Bast, what else could I turn her into? Not to mention, an otter would've had a hard time coming to Christmas with us at Headquarters. I don't reckon Lupin'd be too chuffed at Fred and George inventing a portable pond for her in his house. Though Portable Pond sounds better than Portable Swamp," she mused.

"You think it's safe to take her with us, then? No tracing spells on her?"

"I highly doubt Voldemort intended on letting her leave when he couldn't break into her mind," Ginny answered, rolling her eyes. "She put herself into a coma so he couldn't reach her, even knowing she might not be able to get out."

"She knew this would happen?"

"Of course," Ginny scoffed. "Why else do you think she insisted on doing all the decoding of Lily's things herself? She knew she'd be the first targeted. Not because of being Muggle-born, but because of what she knows. One of the first things she did was learn to protect her mind, even at her own expense, to keep the rest of us safe."

Ron frowned. "Well, that doesn't do us any good when she never told us where to find the decoded notes."

"True, but we never really looked for them. We got her back fairly quickly, and I started working on the transformation idea, so other than the first few searches in her room, we didn't look very hard because we all hoped she'd wake up soon."

"Maybe she can tell us now," Ron said, as he set his and Harry's trunks near the Vanishing Cabinet to wait while Ginny pushed hers through first.

Ginny poked her head back out and grabbed the end of his trunk to drag it though. "She ought to be able to," she said, her voice muffled inside the cabinet. "She'll find a way, I'm sure." She re-emerged for Harry's trunk, depositing it quickly on the other side before they started walking towards the Great Hall.

"Say, you don't think it's a bad idea that we've had D.A. sessions in there with the Vanishing Cabinet, do you?" Ginny asked.

"Why? With the passwords, no one but us can open it, and even if they could get in, it wouldn't take them anywhere because of the Fidelius Charm on the other one."

"Oh, right. So Hannah, Neville and Luna are spending Christmas at their homes before coming to Headquarters?"

Ron nodded, frowning. He'd expressed his opinion on that already. If Voldemort could get Hermione out of Hogwarts so easily, he would not hesitate to target any of them in their homes. "They have Portkeys. They assure me they have plenty of precautions in place, and they're all coming on Boxing Day to stay for the rest of the holiday."

"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked casually, glancing around as they entered the Great Hall. She frowned at her watch. "His hand is on 'Do not disturb'. He can't be sleeping. Why did you take his trunk anyway? I thought you were just being friendly, but you don't live in the dorm anymore, so he'd have had to bring it to you, which wouldn't make much sense, since he might as well haul it through the cabinet himself then." Her calculating expression took in his carefully masked countenance. "So that means you went to his room to get it just before you found me," she concluded. "Is he avoiding me?" she asked.

Ron could have reassured her that Harry was merely skiving off lunch to finish his Christmas shopping, putting together the last of his owl orders for Hedwig, but figured she deserved to suffer a bit for what she'd put Harry through recently, so he just shrugged. "He hasn't had a warm reception these past several weeks. He didn't want to bother you with his company."

Ginny huffed irritably as she selected things to put on her plate. She took an extra apple, tucking it in her pocket for the long train ride. "Being a prefect is a pain. Could've just gone through the cabinet," she said crossly. "I suppose that's what Harry will do."

"No, he's going to ride the train," Ron had paused between bites. "In case there's trouble."

"I need to talk to him," she said grimly. "So if I get him in a private compartment, stay out of it."

Ron just scowledat her, his mouth too full to speak.

* * *

Harry sat alone on the Hogwarts Express in his favourite compartment near the back. Neville had joined him for awhile and played Exploding Snap while he waited for Hannah. 

Ron and Hermione were finishing the Head Boy and Girl duties following the prefect meeting. Ginny had offered to take Hermione to patrol the train, Hannah informed him when she came for Neville. _Of course_, he thought. _Anything to avoid me_. He opened his Advanced Potions book, flipping pages, hoping to find a clue to Snape's whereabouts. "I don't suppose he'd have written his address in here anywhere," he sighed. Towards the back, he noticed a script in the angry, spiky handwriting familiar to Harry from Snape's instructions on the Potions blackboard. _"Pettigrew is a petty thief. Steals tokens from victims."_ Harry sighed, slamming the book shut and tossing it aside. No new insights to be found there. He slumped down in his seat, contemplating his trainers.

The door clicked and slid open, but Harry didn't turn his head. He could see well enough using peripheral vision, as if her fragrance hadn't preceded her. He kept his face carefully devoid of expression as straightened up in his seat, lifting his jaw a bit defiantly, waiting for her to say what she'd come in to say.

"I...Harry, I'm really sorry," she began, eyes downcast.

Harry remained silent, waiting while his heart sank, anticipating her next words.

"I should have talked to you sooner, but I just wanted things to work out so badly..."

"Oh," said Harry distantly, finding it difficult to think over the rushing sound in his ears.

"And I thought I could manage it," she continued. "Well, Luna helped talk me through some rough spots."

Harry stared down at his thumbnails, keeping his hands folded in his lap.

"You need Hermione," she said.

Harry's face felt too frozen to adequately express his surprise and confusion. "She's like a _sister _to me."

"Aren't you the least bit glad she's awake?" Ginny's temper flickered in her eyes.

"Well, of course..."

The flicker flared into indignation. "I worked _hard_. That was really difficult, advanced magic!" Her voice turned edgy. "I suppose it hardly compares to the magic you do every day, and I suppose it's immature of me, but I rather hoped you'd be a little impressed."

"I am!" Harry tried to interrupt.

"I know I'm hardly any match for you; there's no comparison. I'm just a little nobody and everybody whispers about my whole family latching themselves onto you for your Gringotts account--"

"Stop." He stood and grabbed her shoulders. "What the hell are you on about?"

She slumped, sighing. "Damn it, I swore I wouldn't do that."

Harry dropped his hands, keeping a wary eye on her. "Wouldn't do what?"

"Lose control and get angry."

"You're angry with me," Harry clarified.

She looked abashed. "No... Well, I know I haven't the right. You haven't done anything wrong."

"I haven't?"

"No," she said. "I just had unrealistic hopes, I suppose. Hard as I try, we're hardly in in the same Quidditch pitch."

"Oh," Harry said. He frowned. "But...I liked playing Quidditch with you."

She looked at him oddly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He took another step back. "Erm."

"You said 'liked.' Past tense."

"Aren't...aren't you breaking up with me?" he asked.

Her eyes widened. "Of course not! I just wanted to explain what I did. I mean, I'm rather hurt that you don't seem that impressed and overjoyed about how it turned out, though I know I haven't really got the right..." She hesitated. "Harry, even if I was truly angry at you, arguments don't mean breaking up."

"Oh."

"Hermione would tell me you have abandonment issues and insecurities," she sighed. "I'm sorry Harry, I just wanted to do something big, to...prove myself, I suppose. I got so involved, and I couldn't have any distractions...and then it worked! And you were so...casual about it."

"You fell asleep," Harry reminded. "Luna had to come explain what you'd done. And I _am _amazed. What you managed to do is incredible. But I wish you'd told me what you were doing."

"I felt I needed to do it this way," she frowned. "I wanted it to be a special surprise, but I didn't want anyone to know if I failed. I wanted to prove to you that I could do something… impressive."

"Wouldn't it have been just as impressive if you'd told me about it earlier?" Harry asked. "I felt like I was living with the Dursleys again, being ignored and pushed away."

Ginny bristled. "That's a bit out of line. I may have been busy and stressed and pushed you away a time or two, but I was never mean about it. Putting me on the same level as the Dursleys is a pretty low blow."

"Yeah, but they never wanted me in the first place. Rejection from them didn't hurt much."

Ginny bowed her head. "I'm really, really sorry. But I wasn't rejecting you." She caught the edge of her lip with her teeth, smiling hesitantly as she scooted closer. "I was trying to help. You'd forsake a little time with me for the sake of your two best friends, wouldn't you?"

Harry huffed, crossing his arms, noting Ginny's logic seemed to coincide with Dobby's. She and the house-elf seemed to think it was a fine idea to help him by causing him pain.

Ginny grinned more confidently, feeling she was on the right track. "Right. You'd do anything for your friends--including give up quality snogging time. So, don't you dare get all hypocritical with me, mister." She shook her finger at him. "Because you and I both know if the situation were reversed, you'd have done the same thing. You _are_ the git who nearly ripped my heart out trying to break up with me for my own protection."

The self-righteous indignation deflated as he realized he had employed the same house-elf logic himself.

Ginny patted his knee. "It seems we've both learned that sometimes we have to do things like that when it's important in the long run. The end justifies the means."

"That seems a bit dismissive." He wasn't quite ready to give in to her feminine wiles and just forgive and forget. Ron had told him to get a spine often enough in the past few weeks. He wasn't going to give in to her so quickly this time.

Ginny took an exasperated breath and Harry swore he could hear her count to ten under her breath, "You know, _I'm_ utterly delighted that all the hard work I put in, not to mention the deprivation, was worth it. We have Hermione with us for Christmas. Isn't that the big picture we should be looking at here? What did you think I was doing with my time, anyway? Looking for another bloke?"

"You had no problem pushing me aside all these weeks," he said defensively. "You refused to sit next to me, or even stay in the same room for more than a minute. What was I supposed to think?"

"Ahh, I've struck a nerve," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You honestly thought I was on the prowl for another bloke and yet you never thought to put up an argument or fight for me?"

Harry raised a brow. "I didn't think you'd appreciate that kind of spectacle. It's not like I can force you to stay in a relationship with me if you don't want to. Being possessive didn't score Dean any points, from what I saw. And being protective only made you want to hex me."

Ginny smiled. "You're right, you have been very good about giving me space."

"So there is no one else?"

"Of course not," she snorted. She chewed her lip a moment. "I'm sorry I made you feel unimportant. I just got so caught up with this whole project, along with my regular coursework--"

Harry cut her off with a weary wave. He really didn't have it in him to remain angry with her. "I know, I know, you've been very busy. And I probably deserve it anyway, after so many years inadvertently ignoring you."

Ginny nodded. "Not to mention, Ron's been a total prat for your sake."

"Poor Ron." Harry frowned. "I hope I got him enough chocolate for Christmas. He's had a rough time of it lately."

"Don't pity him overmuch," Ginny said dryly. "He's taken out a fair share of irritation by hexing me during D.A. sessions."

"Ron's not thrilled about me using the Sorting Hat on Hermione..." Harry grimaced. "And I imagine he will have something to say to you later about using his girlfriend for experimental magic."

"Nah, he's too happy to have her awake. Nothing bad would've happened if it hadn't worked," Ginny said defensively, though she flushed a bit pink. "I just wanted to help, and to show you all I could do something to make a difference."

"Why do you think you need to impress anyone with your magical powers?" he asked curiously. "No one questions your magical strength. Even Fred and George have commented on it."

"But you could cast a Patronus in your third year," she said. "My biggest claim to fame was getting possessed by a diary at eleven. I feel like I have a lot of things to prove and make up for."

"Damn that snake-faced bastard," he sighed, sliding fingers under his glasses to rub his eyes tiredly. "Everything seems to come down to him in the end." He reached for her, drawing her into a reassuring cuddle.

"That really was some brilliant magic you did," he said, feeling lighter than he had in ages.

Ginny laughed. "So we're okay now?" she asked, drawing her lower lip between her teeth.

"Hmm.You owe me for all those weeks of neglect, I think."

She shifted, moving to straddle his lap, smiling wickedly. "I can pay that penalty."

Harry pulled his Invisibility Cloak out to hide them from prying eyes and vaguely waved at the door to lock it.

Ginny grinned. "Impressive, you didn't even take your wand out. Here, let me get that for you…"

* * *

By the time the Hogwarts Express rolled into King's Cross station, Harry had a much better outlook on life in general. He nudged Ginny awake. "Honey, we're home," he quipped. 

He watched appreciatively as she yawned and stretched. Her hair was rumpled and her eyes had a sleepy, sultry look that made his insides shiver.

"Uncomfortable as it is sleeping on the train, it's nice to wake up next to you," she smiled.

He wordlessly handed over her hair tie.

"You must have a pretty extensive collection of these by now," she took it from him with a sidelong glance.

He widened his eyes in mock innocence.

"You need to unlock the door so we can get out." She finger-combed her hair into a modicum of submission, pulling it back into the tie once more.

Harry obligingly flicked his wand to counter the spells he'd cast earlier. The relief he felt at being back on an even keel with Ginny had the creature in his chest purring contentedly. While making up was brilliant, he rather preferred snog sessions to screaming matches. Ron and Hermione enjoyed their bickering, but after years of people yelling at him, Harry appreciated a more peaceful relationship. _Fat chance of that, pairing up with a fiery redhead,_ the little voice in his head snickered. _Ah, life will never get dull_.

* * *

"I need a box about so big." Tonks mimed a small square with her hands. 

Remus glanced up from his book, using his finger to mark his place. "What for?"

"For Harry's present. Can I use that one?" She indicated the small wooden box on his desk that had contained some things Harry had found in his vault.

"Sure," he shrugged, watching her cross the room, where she unceremoniously dumped the box.

"Hey, why does this have Snape's name on it?" she asked, surprised.

Lupin, who had been admiring the view of her shapely backside while she bent over her work, blinked questioningly at her.

"Why do you have a box from Snape?" she repeated. "It had an old pocket watch in it," she offered.

Lupin frowned, reaching for the box she held out to him. "Harry brought this box from his vault. We assumed it was a jewelry box. It had his mum's ring, my mum's necklace and some watches I charmed for Sirius and James in it. He thought it came from Sirius's vault, as he'd never noticed it before."

Lupin continued his inspection of the little box. "This isn't a jewelry box at all," he commented. "It's a Muggle pencil box. See the ink stains where a bottle or quill leaked?"

"Why would Sirius have a box from Snape in his vault?" Tonks wondered aloud.

"I'm more interested in discovering why Snape would have a collection of things stolen from my friends." Lupin's tone was angry.

"Part of the criminal mind," Tonks nodded knowledgably.

"Let's find another box," Lupin said irritably. "Harry wouldn't like this one."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Tonks rubbed his arm lightly. "I didn't mean to get you riled."

"I know," he sighed. "It's just…" he waved his hand helplessly toward the window, where the moon shone in.

"Your time of the month." Tonks shrugged offhandedly. "Happens to the best of us."

Lupin was still immersed in his own thoughts. "How did that box end up in Harry's vault? I cannot come up with a scenario that makes sense."

"Perhaps you're thinking too hard." Tonks draped herself over the back of the armchair, her arms around his neck. "It's water under the bridge, anyway. You're just making yourself tense and frustrated."

"And I suppose you know of a cure for tension and frustration, do you?" He twisted to raise a brow at her over his shoulder.

"Oh yes," she nodded confidently. "Incidentally, it happens to be the very same cure you suggest every time I come down with the sniffles. Actually, I believe you mentioned it also works for midge bites. And frostbite. Sprains, as well." Her list of ailments was punctuated with kisses along the nape of his neck.

"It is a very versatile remedy," he murmured, tilting his head to allow her easier access to his neck. "Broad spectrum healing properties."

"Mhmm," she agreed, drawing her lips against his ear lobe to make him shiver. "Time for bed?"

"If you insist," he smiled.

* * *

Christmas morning, Harry was awakened by someone with a fiery froth of red hair, bouncing on his bed. "Bugger off, Ron," he mumbled groggily, rolling and hauling the blankets over his head. 

An indignant huff and a swat on the shoulder made him blink blearily, squinting at the interloper. "Is there some unwritten law that says redheads must wake sleeping people at an unnatural hour on Christmas morning?"

"Well aren't you a right little ray of sunshine today?" Ginny sniggered, bouncing the mattress a few more times.

"Up and at 'em, lazybones! Presents!" She bounced tantalizingly nearer.

Harry burrowed further under the bedclothes.

Ginny edged still closer, until she was mere inches from his ear.

Without warning, Harry lunged, wrapping both arms around her as she shrieked in surprise. His modified Sloth Grip Roll efficiently pinned her arms to her sides within the blanket and he rolled her neatly inside with one swift, twisting motion. He smirked triumphantly as he balanced on his knees, straddling her. "Ha! A Weasley burrito."

Ginny's brown eyes danced with merriment. "Yummy," she quirked an eyebrow suggestively.

"Oi." Ron poked his head in the room. He blinked as his eyes traveled over his sister, trussed in a blanket, pinned to Harry's bed. "Glad Mum sent you to wake him up instead of me," he said offhandedly.

"Hey Harry. Thanks for the chocolate and the Cannons stuff." He modeled a garish orange shirt that clashed spectacularly with his hair.

"No problem, Ron. Happy Christmas." Harry hopped off the bed, leaving Ginny to extricate herself from the tangled coverlet.

Ron chuckled. "I thought you'd like a bit of a lie-in, so I took my presents to the dining room to open. Took Hermione's down for her too. She's still playing with the wrapping paper."

Harry grinned, retrieving his glasses from the nightstand and his wand from under his pillow. He scooped up his pile of gifts that had tumbled to the floor and the three of them trooped down the stairs. Ginny detained him under the mistletoe for a moment before dragging him over to an overstuffed armchair.

Hermione dashed through the wrapping paper on the floor, batting and chasing the wadded ball Ginny tossed her way.

"Is that normal?" Harry cocked his head and squinted at the cat.

Ginny shrugged, "I suppose she has some cat instincts to adjust to."

After all the presents had been opened and exclaimed over, Mrs. Weasley poked her head in to announce brunch.

In the kitchen, Fred and George wore identical masks of glee.

In Harry's experience, this was rarely a good sign.

"Happy Christmas Harry! Have a _Prophet_!" Fred slapped a rolled newspaper tied with a bow into his palm.

Harry glanced warily at Lupin, who was seated at the table, shaking almost convulsively and swiping at the tears rolling down his cheeks.

With a final, concerned glance at the hysterical werewolf, Harry untied the ribbon and unfurled the paper. His eyes went wide at the headline:

**Umbridge Hopping Mad**

_Rita Skeeter_

_Following a shocking display of impropriety, Dolores Jane Umbridge, age unknown, was forcibly removed from the Ministry Yule Ball last night._

_Umbridge had been speaking with Minister Scrimgeour when she seemingly suffered a seizure of sorts. Before bystanders could react, Umbridge began performing inappropriately affectionate acts on Scrimgeour's leg, accompanied by frenzied croaking noises. Umbridge was detatched with some difficulty, whereupon closer examination revealed webbing of her hands and feet. According to her own legislation, this officially changes her classification to "creature," and requires immediate termination of her employment with the Ministry. Minister Scrimgeour assures the public that Umbridge was summarily dismissed._

"_Ms. Umbridge exhibited no unusual behavior prior to an Auror's accidental water spill on her person. However, now that she has assumed this aquatic form, she must therefore be subjected to the same laws as any other web-footed creature. She had the best interests of the wizarding world in mind when she wrote those laws, of course. Rules must be observed and upheld to maintain order in a civilized society," Percy Weatherby, a junior undersecretary, stated._

"_I ain't ne'er seen nobody get so drunk they'd wanna hump ol' Scrimmy's crutch. Nor his crotch neither, fer that matter. Some o' these Min'stry shindings got pretty wild back in the day, though. Wouldn'ta been unus'al to see sumpin like that some years ago," one very large guest commented as he escorted his equally-large companion back to their waiting carriage._

_Umbridge has been quarantined until further notice, to prevent contamination. "If this is a transmissible disease, she is a threat to the public. Every precaution as well as all legal restrictions must be strictly considered and adhered to," said a healer at St. Mungo's._

_Umbridge, former Special Assistant to the Minister and one-time self-proclaimed High Inquisitor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, will be subjected to testing at the Magical Creatures Research Laboratory until further notice._

Ginny had come to read over Harry's shoulder. "Ah, revenge is sweet. Congratulations, gentlemen!"

"So the change is permanent?" Harry queried. "I thought it would just be at the full moon."

"Full moon, or whenever she comes in contact with water," George corrected.

"Wow," Ron finally spoke. "That's just…. Wow. Brilliant. Excellent job."

Lupin had gotten himself under control, other than a random snigger that would escape every so often. "Let's not forget to give credit to our intrepid Auror, the catalyst for the whole event."

Tonks blushed prettily, dipping in a quick curtsy.

"This is a better Christmas present than my new pet python, Monty," Harry declared.

"Who gave you a pet snake?" Tonks asked.

"Hagrid, of course," Harry grinned. "Hedwig's not too chuffed over it, but she'll get used to him."

"Speaking of pets..." Fred pointedly stared at Hermione, who perched in Ron's lap, front paws resting on the table. "I see Ron's finally got himself a little pu-"

_Thunk_.

Fred's forehead smacked into the table, courtesy of his mother's backhand.

"This is the best Christmas ever," Ron declared fervently.


	29. Spring Fever

Disclaimer: JKR gets the money. I get the satisfaction of tormenting her characters.

_**S**__**pring Fever**_

Tom Riddle's birthday arrived a week after Christmas without so much as an owl in acknowledgment. Being immortal, after all, meant freedom from that inexorable countdown to death. He commemorated the occasion by calling his loyal Death Eaters to his side.

"Tonight marks the end of a year, and the beginning of a new era." He spoke with malice, seeming to relish the knowledge that his followers clung desperately to every word. "Let us make our resolutions." He paced, pausing to turn his bloody gaze on hooded, cloaked individuals. "The fool, Dumbledore, is dead. Hogwarts shall be mine. Dumbledore's pet, Potter, will not be allowed to die until I choose to grant him that release. He will beg for it before I'm through," he sneered.

* * *

Snape watched shrewdly as Voldemort launched into his tirade. Always skeletally thin, the snake-like man had lost the serpentine grace that once marked his movements. His eyes were sunken, and the skin covering his hands and face looked nearly translucent and dry as parchment. 

Face expressionless, Snape continued his perusal of the room, inspecting each of his fellow Death Eaters in turn. His gaze narrowed on young Malfoy. Draco had been punished most severely for his ineptitude, having secured the wrong hairbrush from the Granger residence.

It had been a fiasco. Morag McDougall, a quiet Slytherin girl in Draco's year, had been taken when her family was killed for refusing to join Voldemort's ranks. The girl had been given to Draco as a reward for his role in the Hogwarts invasion. When Voldemort thought Draco had enjoyed the girl long enough, he'd revealed a plan to use her to get to Potter using polyjuice. Draco was sent to the Granger home to retrieve a hairbrush, but mistaking cat hair for human had been a grievous error. When charged with angry instructions to "dispose of his blunder," Malfoy had completed the girl's feline transformation, _Obliviated_ her, then released her in the Forbidden Forest, near the boundaries of Hogwarts. The boy was too soft to be a Death Eater. He took after his mother in that respect.

Pettigrew was on the other side of Narcissa and Snape did not bother to conceal his disgust. He caught a look of greed cross the sneaky Animagus' face and sent out a tendril of Legilimency. Pettigrew demonstrated no outward sign that he noticed the mental invasion, but Snape could sense the shift of his defenses. He pushed harder, only to see Pettigrew's fantasy involving the woman next to him. Snape pulled out of his mind distastefully. He returned his attention to the Dark Lord, who had finished his oratory and now glowered menacingly. Snape bowed low as the other Death Eaters Apparated away. He must make the required reports.

At the stroke of midnight, Voldemort staggered to his huge, throne-like chair. He clutched his head, retching violently as a deluge of unfamiliar emotions and sensations coursed through him.

"_I love you, Harry," _echoed in his mind as another flood of emotion roared through him and he finally gave in to the blackness.

Snape observed his master, slumped unconscious. He retrieved the usual potions, leaving them on the small side table. He would return when the Dark Lord awoke and inevitably summoned him again.

* * *

"Happy New Year, love," Harry murmured, dazed after the midnight kiss that had curled his toes and straightened other things. He'd rather effectively lowered his inhibitions and shut out the inner voice of his conscience with several shots of Firewhisky and reckless seed of desire had taken root in the recesses of his mind. He pulled Ginny closer and with a quick twist, Apparated them up to his room, knowing Ron was in the kitchen with the twins. He'd heard them trying to convince Ron to go with them to a local pub featuring Gil Pinkyhunk, "a very unique girl who had a special talent with a pole." Ron was not entirely disinterested, but Harry guessed Hermione would be more persuasive than the twins. Either way, Ron would be occupied for awhile. 

Harry Imperturbed the room. With his hands at her hips and kisses that grew increasingly demanding, he maneuvered Ginny gently until the backs of her knees hit his bed. She collapsed backwards, pulling him down with her, giggling. Emboldened, he divested them both of a few items of clothing while his lips and fingers encouraged her eager responses.

"Do you know the charm?" he whispered.

Her eyes went wide and he heard her sharp intake of breath. He frowned, studying the play of emotions cross her face. Surprise, longing…a flicker of fear, then ultimately, regret.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry. I...we...can't." Ginny worried her lip with her teeth, her cheeks flushed crimson. "Not until after you defeat Voldemort. It's got to do with the powers of Artemis I can use to help you."

"Oh…" Harry flushed, prickling with embarrassment and disappointment. "On the train…"

Ginny cleared her throat. "Oh, I can do _that_." She smiled a little, reaching up trace the outline of his jaw. "I'm sorry, love, I hope you don't think I'm being a tease. You know I want to be with you, but if waiting gives us a better chance of defeating Voldemort, it's worth it."

Harry rolled to his back next to her, staring at the ceiling. The little voice was back again, scolding him for his lapse of judgment. There was another voice, angrily arguing that Voldemort took far too much from him. _Life is so not fair,_ he thought. "Damn Murphy's law again."

"What has Murphy done now?" Ginny asked, her fingers tracing lazy circles on his bare chest.

"You spent the past half a year trying to convince me to…take things to the next level." He regarded the ceiling with a gaze intense enough to burn cobwebs from the corners. "And when I finally get 'round my conscience, you've changed your mind."

Ginny's voice was apologetic. "I know. It's not fair at all. But I'll do anything to make sure you live through this and Voldemort doesn't. If I have to hold your wand hand and cast the spell through your arm, I'll kill the bastard for you."

"I don't want you anywhere near Voldemort. Ever."

"I'll be where you are," Ginny said stubbornly.

Harry sighed and closed his eyes, lacking the energy to continue the argument. Talking about Voldemort deflated his enthusiasm in more ways than one.

"I think I know how to take your mind off your problems," he heard her whisper, her voice full of wicked promises as her fingers tickled across his flat stomach.

Thoughts of Voldemort fled as though pursued by a Patronus.

* * *

As much fun as it'd been having the house teeming with teenagers for the holidays, Tonks was relieved when it was time for the students to return to Hogwarts. The evening following the students' departure, she slipped down to the wine cellar where she selected a bottle and cast a quick chilling charm. She set her wand on the kitchen counter while she carefully picked up two crystal goblets in one hand, gingerly carrying the ice-cold bottle in the other. 

Upstairs, she managed to open the bottle and pour without any major mishaps. Remus had changed into pajama bottoms and was comfortably ensconced on the bed with a book when she handed him a glass. "What's the occasion?" He took a sip while he watched her disrobe.

"Kids are gone, house is quiet again," she shrugged, draining her own goblet. "Seems as good a reason as any."

"The house is never quiet," he chuckled. "We have a houseful of Weasleys and Order members around at any given moment."

He turned back to his book when she moved towards the loo. "Don't forget the charm," he added.

"Yes, Professor," she said, rolling her eyes. In their en suite bathroom, she realized her wand was still down in the kitchen. Luckily, Remus had left his conveniently near the sink. It certainly worked well enough for her to do the tooth brushing and face-cleansing charms, so she used it to apply the contraception charm as well. Just for fun, transfigured her oversized t-shirt into something racier.

Remus barely seemed to glance up when she re-entered the room.

She pouted prettily. "Sorry, are you too busy? Do you require me to set up an appointment?"

"Depends." He cocked his head, eyes crinkling at the corners as he set his book aside. "Do you want to play healer?"

"I believe you mean 'play doctor,'" she corrected, lips twitching.

"Only for Muggles."

"And how is the wizarding version different?"

"Magic wand," Remus chuckled, his lips claiming hers.

* * *

January's frigid cold mellowed slightly into February. Ron sighed longingly, watching couples pair off for Valentine's Day, finding ways to keep each other warm in the winter chill. 

"It's not like either of us really cared about Valentine's Day," he complained to Harry. "She always said it was a rather stupid tradition, but..."

"I suppose snogging a cat could lead to awkward questions," Harry smirked.

Ron cuffed his shoulder. "She's working hard to change back. She goes to McGonagall every night, but she's getting frustrated."

Harry wondered how Ron could tell, but he supposed there was a fair amount of hissing involved.

Ron kept her Disillusioned most of the day so she could attend classes with them. More often than not, she simply slept on her desk, apparently absorbing the lectures through osmosis. At meals, she refused to eat under the table, so had begun going directly to the kitchen. The house-elves adored her and she saw a whole new side of their lives after spending more time with them. House-elves, like cats, had different means of achieving happiness than humans.

For instance, few humans appreciated the simple things in life, like dangling string and crinkly paper. And mice. She could not seem to resist chasing anything that moved quickly and Ron exploited this weakness mercilessly.

Once, he gave her a catnip mouse he'd procured from the twins. She'd gone wild as a squirrel on Euphoria Potion until he caught her. She'd writhed in his arms, causing Ron to wonder aloud what effect the herb might have on her once she reverted back to her human form.

* * *

Allowing several days to recover from the effects of catnip, Ron asked McGonagall about Hermione's progress. He was concerned about Hermione's inability to deny her cat instincts and playfulness, which seemed so out of character. McGonagall told him the play aspect was firmly entrenched, regardless of incorrect Animagus form. "With an otter Patronus, we know Miss Granger must possess an innately playful side, regardless of how well she suppressed it in her human form. Please continue to encourage her, as the more comfortable and familiar she becomes with her animal nature, the easier it will be for her to revert to her human form. She needs to embrace this side of herself that she repressed for years."

Much as he enjoyed imagining what this might mean for the future, her apparent loss of self-discipline occasionally irritated Ron; mostly when he was trying to get her to communicate with him. He had voiced the suspicion that she felt telepathy was as worthwhile learning as Divination.

Exasperated with yet another failed attempt involving hours staring deep into each other's eyes, Ron scowled as she sprawled out on yet another open book in the library. "She looks…"

"Post-coital?" Luna suggested. "Orgasmic? Sated?"

Ron's eyes widened. "I was going to say 'happy,' but, erm…" He blinked and shook his head. "If she's that content as a cat, what if she never wants to change back?"

"Well, I suppose Ginny could turn you into a cat as well," Luna suggested.

"That seems rather reprehensible."

"It might convince her to try harder to become human again." Luna twisted her hair in a knot, stabbing her wand through it to hold it. "And we do need her in human form to retrieve her notes from Lily's journals. That information could be essential. For all we know, that research may even prove the existence of the elusive Snigglefritz."

His eyes focused back on Hermione, who had rolled to her back wearing an expression of absolute ecstasy. Ron nodded, swallowing hard. "I'll go find Ginny."

He walked purposefully down the hall, hoisting Hermione to his shoulder. "Nice bit of tail you got there, Weasley," Peeves leered, firing ink pellets at them.

* * *

Consulting his watch, Ron headed for the Owlery to find Ginny and Harry. Pausing in the doorway, he heard Ginny ask, "Did you go through all the memories Dumbledore left you?"

There was a slight hesitation. "Most of them. They were mostly the same ones Dumbledore had already showed me."

"Do you want me to go with you in that last one?"

"I'll go with you as well," Ron cut in firmly. "Er, we both will," he amended as Hermione swatted his ear with her paw.

Hedwig flew down from her perch, where she'd stubbornly been refusing Ginny's proffered treats. She landed on Harry's shoulder and cooed reassurances in his ear, nuzzling his cheek.

Monty made his way lethargically up Harry's torso, finally slithering around his neck near the owl. Hedwig glared at him until he ducked his head in submission.

Ron observed the exchange with interest. "How are things going with Monty?"

Harry shrugged. "I suppose since it's cold out, he isn't very active. Or maybe he's just not as bright as Hedwig. He's pretty young, and doesn't have a lot to say yet. Hedwig's got a lot more personality." He affectionately rubbed her cheek with his knuckles. She closed her eyes and puffed her feathers, hooting softly in contentment. "Plus, she understands English, which is an advantage."

Finally mollified, Hedwig accepted Ginny's treats and flew back up to her perch. She regally watched them leave as she settled in for a nap.

Harry hissed a few reassurances to his snake after they were a distance from the Owlery. He rolled his eyes at Ron's questioning glance. "Hedwig is jealous and Monty is insecure. It's a lot of work maintaining two pets and a girlfriend." Ginny scowled at him. "At least you have two rolled into one there, Ron."

Hermione laid her ears back and glared, her tail flicking in irritation.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to Ginny about that." Ron's ears were red. "Luna thought if Ginny transformed me into a cat, we could communicate better and Hermione might have more inspiration to change back to her human form. Luna thinks she might be a little afraid."

Ginny gave him a skeptical look. "How would you encourage her to change to her human form? Unless…wait, let me guess, you want this done by Valentine's Day? What's the matter? Heavy petting not enough for you?"

Ron flushed darker crimson and ducked his head to undo the locking charm on his door. He looked as if he'd like to hex his sister for her shirty comments, but he remained silent.

"I won't do the forced Animagus transformation on you." Ginny shook her head firmly. "It's just too hard, and the moon's not right. I can do a simple transfiguration though."

"Wouldn't I just be a cat then?" Ron frowned. "I need to be able to think as me."

Ginny shrugged. "You won't be exactly yourself, but we'll be here to prevent you from doing anything stupid. Well, maybe 'prevent' is too strong a word. 'Obtain photographic evidence' might be more the term I'm looking for."

Ron glared at her before directing his gaze to Harry, who just smiled and shrugged.

* * *

Ron was granted his Valentine's wish and spent several hours cavorting about the castle with Hermione. Ginny had to admit Ron made a very handsome cat. His ginger coat was not unlike Crookshanks's, but less fluffy, and of course his face didn't look as though he'd run into a brick wall. 

Ginny changed him back while Hermione watched with sad eyes.

"Oi," he said after changing back. "That was weird."

"Undoubtedly," said Harry dryly, a little tetchy about spending Valentine's Day supervising a pair of cats.

Ron spread his fingers and inspected them, as if not quite believing his paws were gone. "I can understand why she wouldn't entirely want to change back. Life would be way easier as a cat. It was like forgetting there was anything to worry about. It was like…no urgency anymore. I knew who I was, and who she was, and I knew there were things I wanted to tell her, and reasons we should change back, but it just didn't seem important. I couldn't fix my attention on things quite right, and I couldn't communicate the way I'd hoped, either."

Harry couldn't curb the snarky quirk of his lips and eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"Should we try to force her to transform back?" Ron asked Ginny. "I know there's a spell. Sirius and Lupin used it--"

Ginny shook her head. "I don't know if that'd be safe. We need to know her human mind is completely healed, and the only way to be sure is if she can change herself back."

"Well, it's time for her to meet with McGonagall for another session," Ron said, glancing at his watch. "Maybe today will be the day."

During the evening session, Hermione seemed to be trying harder than ever, and McGonagall said she was making progress.

"She's holding her concentration much better," she told Ron. "She's made huge strides. You don't understand how much she's already accomplished in such a short time."

Ron just nodded, his disappointment apparent as he collected Hermione and headed back to his room.

* * *

After an exhilarating training session flying with the D.A., Harry sat on his bed with the curtains drawn, Dumbledore's Pensieve on his lap. His friends had offered--insisted, really--on accompanying him into this memory, yet in the end, he decided to exclude them. He knew the memory would be horrific. It was bad enough he had to relive the voices when dementors were near him, but now he'd have to see it as well. He didn't want the others with him when he watched for the first time. He wasn't sure how he'd react, and he didn't want them to witness it. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he steeled his nerves and poured the memory into the basin. After Imperturbing the curtains, he closed his eyes and leaned forward. 

It was worse than he'd imagined. He forced himself to watch, to examine everything in detail, determined not to miss a single clue. Harry was not surprised to see Voldemort accompanied by a masked Death Eater who kept to the shadows. Glancing out a window, he noticed others posted around the outside of the house, presumably to foil escape attempts. He forced himself to remain quiet when his father pushed his mother toward the stairs, telling her to take Harry and go. He could not watch his father's death--the memory forced him to follow his mother's panicked flight with his infant self clutched in her arms. In the familiar nursery, she cuddled him close. Tears streamed down her face.

"I'm so sorry, love, so sorry." A crash downstairs followed by high-pitched, gleeful laughter made her shoulders droop in defeat. "James," she whispered, her expression agonized. She took a deep, shuddery breath and retrieved a phial of potion from an inner pocket. She downed it quickly and her wand blurred as she cast a complex spell around herself and her son, finishing just as the nursery door crashed open.

Harry covered his ears, unwilling to listen yet again as his mother begged and offered her life for his. He determinedly turned his back on the scene, watching instead for the Death Eater he knew was hovering on the other side of the threshold. He saw the flash of green light in his peripheral and his heart ached. He turned sideways, warily keeping one eye on the door, waiting for the Death Eater to reveal his identity while watching Voldemort at the same time. Harry could not hear the first spell Voldemort cast on the dark-haired infant in the cot, but he couldn't miss the triumphant roar of the second. The speeding flash of green light struck the baby on the forehead, causing Harry to wince and grab his scar even as the baby shrieked. The jet of green shimmered and rebounded almost instantly on its caster, who dropped to the ground, his wand rolling across the floor. The Death Eater finally moved into view. He seemed to appraise the situation, taking in the two dead bodies and the screaming infant. He nudged Lily's still form with a booted foot, shaking his head in apparent disgust before retrieving Voldemort's wand. He whirled to leave without uttering a word.

Harry shivered with impotent rage and horror until Dumbledore appeared and comforted the frightened toddler who fought to reach his mother on the floor. The last thing Harry saw before falling through the memory out of the Pensieve was the tip of Dumbledore's wand just before it touched the baby's temple.

Harry cursed as he lay on his bed. "Went through that and still don't know any more than before." His watch alarm went off and he glanced at the message. After several calming breaths, he undid the charm around his bed and waited. Ginny's head poked through the curtains. She studied his face a moment before her eyes took in the scene: the rumpled bed, Pensieve and empty phial.

Surprisingly, she said nothing, just scooped the memory out of the bowl and carefully replaced it in the phial, corking it firmly and setting it aside. She crept up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she stretched her body out along his length.

"Is the bigger tragedy the ones who died or the ones left behind?" he asked, his voice oddly detached.

"What do you mean?" she finally asked, her tone carefully neutral.

"I won't be left behind again. If you…were gone..." he swallowed hard, "I wouldn't want to stay here. There are already more people on the other side…"

"So you'd take stupid chances to try and get yourself killed too? You didn't listen to Dumbledore then. He said we have to choose between what is right and what is easy, and it's our choices that make us who we are. I hate to think you'd choose to take the weak way out. Yes, I understand it'd be easier to just give up; a relief even, but he never said just do what feels good. Even if dying seems a hell of a lot easier than living, you must continue to fight. If you stop, he wins, and how many other lives will he ruin?"

Ginny touched his cheek. "I know you. You wouldn't condemn another person to your fate. Voldemort is not invincible. Someone will have to finish him sometime. If not you, than someone else, but what if that person isn't even born yet? Regardless of what happens to me, my family, Hermione… yu have to promise to go on. It's what we would all expect of you. If I die before you defeat Voldemort, I want you to live. Move on with your life, find someone who makes you happy."

"Impossible," he shook his head.

"I'm sure you'd be able to scrounge up someone."

Harry looked away from her, his jaw set in an expression of mulish obstinacy.

"Come on, you need to get out of here." She crawled out of his bunk and dragged at his hand. "Let's go to the library or something. You can help me revise for exams."

Harry allowed himself to be pulled along, but in the library he gazed off into space and answered Ginny's whispered chatter with shrugs or noncommittal noises. Finally, he stood from the table. "I need to find Hermione. We can't wait for her any longer. We need those notes."

Ginny paused before gathering her things. "They'll be in Ron's room."

* * *

Ron was preparing for a late night patrol when they knocked at his door. He waved them in, pointed at Hermione sprawled on a book and promised to be back shortly. 

"Hiya, Hermy." Ginny patted the cat's head. Hermione opened one eye and glared. "Come on," she cajoled, "Focus. Turn back into yourself so you can hex me for calling you by that horrible nickname you hate."

Hermione laid her ears back, her tail whipping back and forth in frustration and annoyance.

"Where did you put your notes?" Harry cut in. "If you can't change back, then you need to give us your notes. People are dying. Scrimgeour finally released Stan Shunpike from Azkaban--then the Death Eaters killed him because he'd told people he knew me. The Order is doing all it can, and even the Ministry is cottoning on some, but Voldemort is getting closer all the time. If there's something in those notes we need, anything that can help, then I have to have them now."

Hermione leaped off her desk to paw at her trunk. Ginny opened it and watched as Hermione jumped inside and began digging. Ginny turned all Hermione's possessions out on the floor and still the cat kept digging.

"What if she's just digging because she needs a litter box?"

Ginny snorted with laughter as Hermione's head appeared over the edge of the trunk to glare at him.

"I think she has a secret compartment here," Ginny finally said. Hermione meowed loudly in encouragement as Ginny reached inside.

Harry groaned. "Oh hell, with Hermione's concealment spells, we'll never find it."

* * *

Hermione's trunk underwent several intense inspections over the course of the next month. Mad-Eye Moody was particularly fierce. He could see a hazy outline of the secret drawer with great difficulty, but could not find a way to open it. Flitwick and McGonagall both tried as well, and were mightily impressed with Hermione's spellwork when they couldn't remove the protective enchantments. Remus had looked at it several times. He thought the concealment spell was similar to the one on the map. 

"I'm almost sure it requires a password," he said after having another go at it. "What would she have used? Her middle name? Ron's middle name?"

"No, that'd be too easy," Harry said. "Knowing Hermione, it's some random combination of letters and numbers, in runes, and impossible to guess."

Hermione meowed in exasperation and threw herself on the floor. She'd been trying to pantomime the password for weeks, but no one seemed to take any notice. Catching Ron's eye again, she sat up and carefully preened before deliberately laying out flat on her side to feign sleep.

"Too bad you can't hold a quill and write the password for us," Ron stooped to pet her. She leaped to her feet, twisting around his legs before repeating her actions again: preening and pretending sleep.

Ron gave her a concerned look. "You've been sleeping a lot lately. I hope you're not sick. Maybe Hagrid ought to…" He blinked rapidly, evidently realizing he was about to suggest his girlfriend visit an animal caretaker rather than a healer. "I meant to say Madam Pomfrey. You should see her if you feel ill." He rubbed his temples, mumbling to himself that he'd been dating a cat for months and should expect his brain to go fuzzy.

"I hope you feel guilty for missing my birthday," he frowned at her. "That would've been a pretty great present, y'know? Turning back to yourself."

Hermione just looked at him helplessly, her eyes huge and sad.

"Ah, the kitty-cat eyes," he crooned, scooping her up in his arms for a cuddle. "Works every time. Don't worry love, we'll celebrate when you emerge from your furry little cocoon."

* * *

Students were kept horrendously busy revising for NEWTs. Professors gave extra homework, and D.A. training was intense. Winter slowly lost its grip, allowing spring to creep into the castle almost unnoticed by the students. Other than disturbing articles in the _Prophet_, they could almost forget the battle looming. 

Monty the python grew restive. Harry tried to teach him to open the Chamber so he could go down there to hunt. He had shown him several times, but he still had to demonstrate about every third day, usually having to retrieve him because the snake had forgotten how to get back out.

In exasperation, after a particularly trying experience, he told Ginny, "See, this is why I could never become a dark lord. I haven't got the patience to properly train my minions."

She laughed herself into a coughing fit. She was fighting a spring cold, and though Harry had dragged her up to Madam Pomfrey twice for Pepper-Up Potion, she couldn't seem to shake it.

"His memory is like Swiss cheese," she said a little hoarsely, stroking the serpent's head with a forefinger. "Too bad you can't pull out a strand and shove it in his skull."

Harry stood stock-still and gaped at her before grabbing her hand and pulling her back the way they'd come.

"Where are we going?" she gasped, running alongside him.

"McGonagall," he said shortly. He gave the gargoyle the password and they rode the staircase up to the huge, ornate door.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley." McGonagall nodded primly. "How can I be of assistance?"

"We have an idea, Headmistress," Harry began quickly, tripping over his words in excitement. "Can you give Hermione a memory? Could you pull out one of your memories of transforming and put it into her head?

She shook her head doubtfully. "I would have to research the safety of such an experiment."

"I'll try it on my snake," Harry offered eagerly. "If his little brain can take it, Hermione's can. What's the worst that could happen? If it doesn't work, the memory would just slide back out, right?"

"Professor Slughorn is much more experienced with memory extraction than I," McGonagall admitted stiffly. "We willconsult him."

The Headmistress tossed a pinch of Floo powder into her fire and called Professor Slughorn.

"Hello Headmistress," he said. "How are you this beautiful day?"

"Fine, fine..." She fluttered a hand dismissively and explained the situation and Harry's question.

"Ah, intriguing possibility." He stroked his jaw thoughtfully. "A problem could arise if the animal brain could not process the memory--say if Harry were to put a memory of instructions in his snake's head, it would have to be done in Parseltongue for the snake to comprehend it. Otherwise, the memory would simply reside in the skull, quite useless, and impossible to retrieve."

"Well, that should be easy enough," Ginny said, "Hermione's never really learned to communicate like a cat, so plain English will be fine. Please, will you try it for her? She's of age; you don't even need to waste time getting parental permission!"

"I'd like to have Mr. Potter test the theory on his snake first," she demurred.

Ginny sent Ron a note on her watch and told him to bring Hermione. Harry pulled a memory from his head and slowly fed it into Monty's head. He hissed questions and whooped in triumph when the snake answered affirmatively ."This is going to work, I know it!" he crowed, his eyes dancing.

Even McGonagall seemed to have caught on to the excitement; at least to the point of sporting a cautiously optimistic smile.

Ron appeared with Hermione draped over his shoulders. Harry and Ginny explained everything, rushing to finish each other's sentences and sounding as though they'd been practicing twinspeak.

Ron grinned at Hermione. "Well? What d'you reckon? Worth a shot, eh?"

Hermione had already leaped to McGonagall's desk and sat still, ready and waiting. The Headmistress frowned in concentration as she carefully removed a small silvery thread from her temple. She held it over Hermione's head. "Are you sure you want to try this?"

Hermione just closed her eyes and waited. McGonagall let the strand touch just in front of her furry ear and everyone held their breath while it was absorbed.

Hermione leaped to the floor and began to pace. Finally, she stood on her hind legs, using the desk for support, reaching…reaching...and finally stretching. Her body began lengthening and changing shape; the tail and furry coat rapidly disappeared, leaving her clad only in the simple white hospital gown she'd worn so long ago. She swayed unsteadily, grasping the desk for support.

Stunned at first, Ron had crossed the room in two long strides when she'd begun the transformation. Now he held her desperately, disbelievingly close. "By the grace of Merlin, Hermione," he murmured, "I was going to ask you to marry me, cat form or not, but I didn't know how you'd be able to answer, so I swore I'd ask the second you changed back. This isn't exactly how I'd pictured it, but, Hermione, will you marry me?"

"Meow?" she rasped. Shock and confusion spread across his face.

"That's cat for 'Of course, you silly prat!'" she grinned delightedly. "Oh my, it feels so good to talk!"

The room erupted with cheering as the five living human inhabitants--particularly Ron and Hermione--were congratulated by the portraits and one another.

The four Gryffindors retired to the Head Suite, where they used their watches to call Neville, Hannah and Luna, as well as Dobby and Winky while Hermione enjoyed a long, hot shower and dressed in her own clothing for the first time in months. She took several moments to go through the cabinet to reassure her parents that she was indeed perfectly fine, then returned to the group of friends awaiting her.

"Oh, the trouble I could've avoided if I'd remembered my watch," Hermione sniffed, tearing up quite suddenly after hugging and thanking everyone profusely. Poor Dobby had turned nearly purple with delight when she praised his bravery and gave him a Gryffindor scarf.

We're really happy to have you back," Harry grinned. They were all desperate to know the whole story behind what had happened to her, but she already seemed to be suffering from the overload of human emotions McGonagall had warned them might happen.

Hannah asked if she was able to change to a cat and back at will now.

"Yes, I believe I could," Hermione frowned, "but I'm a bit unwilling to test the theory and get stuck again. How long have I been a cat, anyway?"

Her eyes bulged when Ron told her she'd been in a coma from Halloween to Christmas, then spent another three and a half months as a cat.

"I had no idea it'd been so long," she groaned. "I tried to change; I wanted to, but I couldn't hold my focus, and just didn't have enough confidence. I was terribly afraid something would go wrong... She gasped suddenly, looking stricken. "Oh, Harry, the notebooks!"

* * *

Huge THANK YOUs to alix33, Allanon-One and lbfan for beta reading and offering suggestions throughout and to Last Samurai Ryu-san for assistance with the video game descriptions. Invaderk, Alphamech, raoulisafop, La Phantom and Wolf's Scream, your help has been very appreciated as well! 

Special thanks to my loyal reviewers who stuck with me throughout this story! I've answered all the reviews I was able to more personally, so you know how much I appreciate each of you, but I wanted to post your names here to thank you again for taking the time to click that little Submit Review button at the bottom. According to the stats, this story averages approximately 2,477 hits per chapter, with 321 reviews overall. I'm not complaining; it was those 321 reviews that encouraged me to finish the story. What I am saying is this: you are in the top 12 percent of the HP fanfic-reading public; the cream of the crop! By leaving a review, you make a difference. Thank you. One last chapter to go, and it's almost done. I really didn't think I was going to make it! Thanks again to:

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	30. The End Begins

Disclaimer: I'm still not JKR. Nor do I own Monty Python, StarTrek, StarWars, Nintendo, various online sources or anything else I brazenly used to achieve my own ends.

A/N: Hugethanks to lbfan. His suggestions (which include the addition of a rather significant black thong, lol) really added some great finishing touches to these last chapters. alix33 and Allanon, my gratitude for your spell-checks and spotting of plot holes!

_**The End Begins  
**_

Hermione said, "Sleeping Beauty," and tapped her wand against the secret drawer in her trunk.

"That was your password?" Harry was incredulous. A bit sarcastically he added, "Anyone could have guessed that!"

"Well, I tried to act it out, but Ron only wondered if I was sick and nearly sent me to Hagrid," she said dryly.

"What's it supposed to mean?" Ginny frowned.

"Well, it's got to do with the notes," Hermione bit her lip, glancing at Harry for permission to continue. At his nod, she took a deep breath and began to flip through the pages. "You'd probably best sit down for this," she said uncertainly, conjuring chairs. "Okay, Harry, your birthday is July 31. If you count back nine months, your conception date was on or about Halloween."

Harry nodded.

Dobby disappeared with a pop, reappearing with several bottles of butterbeer, which he distributed discreetly.

Hermione smiled gratefully. "Thanks Dobby. I'm sure this will taste better than my usual Tuna Colada."

Dobby fluttered his ears in delight, the tips flushing pink with pleasure.

"Right," she began again. "Well, you know Halloween is one of the liminal times of the year when the boundary separating the dead from the living is blurred and magic is very potent. October 31st is the last day of the bright half of the year, the next day is the beginning of winter, or Samhain.

"Your mum lit a special candle, imploring the spirits to bless her with a child; a new hope." Hermione smiled. "When she discovered she was carrying you, she couldn't have been happier.

"By the time you were born, the situation with Voldemort had escalated, of course. They learned about the prophesy. They started researching methods to keep you safe, knowing Voldemort knew of at least part of the prophesy. Eventually that meant going into hiding under the Fidelius Charm.

She paused to check the notes again. "Harry, you know you your mum was Muggle-born. One of her favourite fairy tales was _Sleeping Beauty_. Actually, that's how I broke the code. I realized there were certain words on the first page that didn't fit, and when I underlined them on the page, they formed the story, which created a template that carried through to the rest of the notes. Genius, really, because it was so random. It wasn't every third word, or any certain pattern. I made my template transparent, keeping the lines in place, and on each page, the words that corresponded with the lines formed sentences.

"Anyway, it was the first part of the story that intrigued her. You know how it goes. A king and queen longed for a baby. When the baby was born, they invited good fairies to be godmothers, and the fairies bestowed gifts upon the baby. Two of them gave her wit, grace, beauty and musical talents. But then, a wicked witch arrived, and angry at not being invited, cursed the baby to prick her finger on a spindle and die. The witch disappeared, leaving the devastated parents in her wake. The last fairy, though she could not _reverse_ the spell, altered it so the girl would not die, but fall asleep."

Harry nodded, wondering where this was leading.

"The story is actually similar to a variety of old myths. Your mum started researching ancient magic, trying to find historical basis for the myths and finally discovered a potion with a charm she thought would work. Unfortunately, it required the ultimate sacrifice on her part. She accepted that, though, and made preparations. She kept looking for other options as well, and created a new potion to help you defeat Voldemort. Unicorn blood is the main ingredient. That potion is still locked in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. You'll find it in the Love Room; the door that is always locked. It has a password, and you will need to go there to retrieve it."

"I'll just pop over one of these days and pick that up," said Harry facetiously. "Is that all?"

"No." Hermione sighed apologetically. "Shortly after you were born, your parents both gave you gifts like the fairies in the story; similar to you putting thoughts in Monty's head. Remember the conversation we had about the Sorting Hat? How the founders put brains in it? Your mum found out how to do it. It wasn't as simple as exchanging thoughts, like you did. It was like giving you pieces of themselves. Not their knowledge or memories; more like a bit of their spirit and talents. Your father gave you his Animagus form as your Patronus. Your mum gave you part of her conscience. I don't think she quite trusted Sirius to set the best example for you as your godfather."

"Ah. That explains things."

"Your dad also made sure you loved to fly," Hermione smiled. "He wanted you to be a professional Quidditch player. He also gave you his hatred of Dark Arts. It's also why you can resist the Imperius Curse and Veela so easily.

"You know they were quite talented in Potions, Charms and Transfiguration, but they chose not to pass those along. They wanted you to develop your own talents, so your wand would choose you for who you are, not for who they were."

"But they _made_ me who I am." Harry frowned, rubbing the back of his neck agitatedly. "They created me like some kind of puppet or something."

"No, that's not true, Harry." Hermione came to his side, urgently putting her hand on his arm. "Your parents hoped and wished for a baby. There's only one way to create a soul like yours, and that's with love. They wanted you desperately, and they wanted to give you the best chance at life that they could. Even when they discovered they were targeted by Voldemort himself, knowing they might not get to see you grow up, they wanted to give you a chance at life, and a way to be with you in spirit."

Harry looked away, sighing. In the end, it really didn't matter how or why he came to be. He just _was_. He ran his hand over his face tiredly. "What did Mum's potion and spell do, exactly?"

"The potion…" Hermione flipped through a few more pages, skimming the notes. "She worked on that with Professor Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth. Its purpose is to loosen the soul from the body. It is a painful process, similar to a dementor's kiss. The charm then bound her soul to you. She verbally offered her life for yours, which sealed the charm. Voldemort's Killing Curse separated her soul from her body, so when he used the same curse on you, it did not separate _your_ soul from your body, but _hers_. Her soul took the form of a vengeful mother, rebounding with Voldemort's curse, fighting the way she wanted to fight for you, to destroy Voldemort. That protection is still in your skin."

Hermione hesitated then. "I think it's the same potion that Dumbledore drank in the cave to get the fake Horcrux. He had to drink much more than your mother did, however. The pain must have been excruciating. Voldemort would have enjoyed the irony that someone would have to painfully lose their soul to get to his. When Dumbledore drank it and it reminded you of the things your mum said, Harry, he was anchoring his soul elsewhere. If he hadn't, he would have been left soulless, like the victim of a dementor."

Harry rubbed his temples before running his hands agitatedly through his hair. "Dumbledore tied his soul to me, too?" he asked finally.

"Possibly, though I don't think so," Hermione said. "I'm not sure, of course, but I think it's more likely he bound his soul to Hogwarts, or possibly Fawkes. He may have set Fawkes with the task to protect you. I think he would've chosen Fawkes, because on the phoenix's next burning day, Dumbledore's soul would be released to go on its way."

"Isn't it blood protection?" Harry asked. "That's why I had to live with Aunt Petunia. Wouldn't Dumbledore have had to anchor to his brother?"

"I suppose that's a possibility as well," Hermione acknowledged. "The blood bond is the strongest for parent to child, as in your case, but Dumbledore had other bonds. I thought of Hogwarts or Fawkes first, but you're right, he may have chosen Aberforth."

"Speaking of Abeforth, why would Harry's mum work with him on that potion?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shrugged, "Probably because Aberforth is as talented with Potions as Professor Dumbledore was with Transfiguration.

"Crookshanks gave me an interesting idea though," she stroked behind her earlobe thoughtfully. "There was a mythological god called Dionysus or Bacchus. He was the mysterious god of wine, and friend to satyrs--creatures that were half goat, half man. He was rumoured to be able to turn into a lion; a lord of cats.

"Aberforth is a mysterious barman who was accused of using improper charms on goats. Very probably a Gryffindor as well, tying in with the lion connection.

"Dionysus was also said to preside over communication between the living and dead, and one myth says he created a special drink that could bind the drinker's soul to another person or thing."

Harry interrupted, "Like a Horcrux?"

"Not exactly," Hermione's brow furrowed. "Your mum's notes indicate the original potion was a more ancient magic, and would only work on a whole soul. The person has to be willing to die for someone else; to give up their soul for another--or others--in order to use the anchoring charm that goes with it."

In the hollow silence that followed, Luna suddenly cut in with her usual whimsical tone. "So there was nothing in those notes regarding the Snigglefritz or Mangel-wurzel then?"

* * *

Throughout the month of April, the group worked harder than ever. Ron had expected Hermione to be out of shape and need practice, but her months as a cat had given her an edge. She now moved with more grace and stealth than before, and her muscles were sinewy. "Probably all the extra running and jumping from the effects of catnip." She raised a brow as she offered him a hand up off the floor. 

He shrugged, grinning and unrepentant. "All in your best interests, love."

Her parents had, of course, been thrilled to have her in human form once again. They'd had faith in her abilities and were used to her being at school for months on end. Whether she was in cat or human form was almost irrelevant, so strong was their belief that she'd be alright in the end. They'd known the engagement was forthcoming as well, since Ron had spoken with them at Christmas. They'd given their blessing, and Hermione's mother was already immersed in wedding details with Mrs. Weasley, who had turned her gaze speculatively at Harry and Ginny.

* * *

Hedwig snagged a bat mid-flight during her hunt. Although Harry had warned her against hunting them, his red-headed friend had initially told her to bring them to McGonagall, and this one had been flying entirely too close to her sleeping boy's window. She winged her way through the castle, dropping the little furry body on the Headmistress' desk before flying off to find a more palatable meal. She entirely missed the scene a few hours later, when the usually unflappable McGonagall turned a shade as pale as the snowy owl's plumage when she unwound the note from the dead creature's leg. 

"_Beltane."_ The note dropped from McGonagall's nerveless fingers. She sat heavily at her desk, head in her hands. She had mere days to evacuate her school and prepare for battle. "_May Day..._" she thought of the date with dread. "_Mayday, indeed..."_ Glancing up at Dumbledore's sleeping portrait, she straightened resolutely. Potter and the Order had to be notified. Plans must be made.

After sending Patronus messages to call an emergency meeting of the Order, McGonagall's glance fell on the note again, this time setting her resolve. Beltane--unlike Samhain, which commemorated the death of summer--celebrated the coming of the light.

* * *

"Something doesn't feel right," Ron said uneasily, wand at the ready, scanning the dark, empty lobby of the Ministry. The boys had slipped away from the school to retrieve Lily's potion. 

Harry stared hard at the ridiculous statue. "Fountain of Magical Brethren," he scoffed. "It was better when Dumbledore tore it to pieces. Someday, someone should fix that..."

They retraced the path they'd taken two years prior, stealthily entering the circular room where the doors began to spin. Harry whispered "All you need is love," watching as the spinning halted and a door began to glow.

"Great, now I'll have that song stuck in my head all night," Ron groused as Harry tapped the knob with his wand to open it.

"It was Mum's favorite Beatles song," Harry shrugged. "I can't help it she used it as a password."

The dim room was eerily empty, except for a single, illuminated table holding racks of phials filled with potions. Harry gently took one filled with silvery liquid, holding it carefully in his palm.

"What are those?" Ron asked, reaching for one of the phials. He jerked his hand back as a magical current zinged through him.

"Sorry," Harry glanced at Ron. "Mum's potion. It's the unicorn blood in it. Freely given, of course."

"How come it didn't shock you?" Ron frowned.

"Well, you know how unicorns are," Harry smirked. "You just failed the unicorn innocence and purity test."

"The brother brigade will be glad to know you passed," Ron retorted.

Harry raised an amused brow. "Haven't you heard? The ever-increasing Weasley Sister Society has taken offense to the brigade's aims and is forcing them to disband."

Ron huffed haughtily. "How are they going to do that?"

"I believe it was more a question of what they are _not_ going to do..." Harry grinned meaningfully.

Ron cleared his throat and nodded. "Right. Disbanding."

Harry turned back to his phial with a chuckle, silently casting an Unbreakable Charm on the glass.

Ron looked around edgily. "It's too quiet here. Feels like something is about to go badly wrong." He glanced at his watch and his eyes widened with horror. "Harry, the girls are on battle mode!"

They both felt a sudden jerk behind their navels as they were summoned back to Hogwarts. They heard the echo of clanging bells as the Portkeys triggered alarms behind them and they disappeared from the Ministry.

A Disillusioned Percy Weasley tapped the alarm with his wand to silence it, worriedly frowning at the space so recently vacated by his youngest brother. Adjusting his robes, he Apparated to Hogsmeade, hoping he wasn't too late.

Ginny and Hermione were behind a table tipped on its side in the Great Hall when the boys materialized next to them. D.A. volunteers had been strategically stationed all over the school, as they'd been unsure of the Death Eaters' point of entry. They needn't have been concerned about secret passageways, as it turned out. The Death Eaters had simply marched through the front gates; the wards of Hogwarts allowing them entrance. As the masked figures attempted to storm the school, they found themselves facing a far more determined and well-trained force than they had anticipated. Members of the D.A. formed flanks that herded Death Eaters steadily toward the Great Hall. The castle was a willing participant, twisting all of its stairways and secret passageways to assist in the effort.

"What the hell?" One young Death Eater screamed in fear and frustration as he lost his wand to a sixth year Ravenclaw. "I thought it was supposed to be deserted and ready for takeover!"

Dark, roiling clouds filled the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. The snarls and snaps of thunder filled the thick, heavy atmosphere like a caged wolf.

The girls aimed hexes over the edge of a table while the boys scrambled to get into position. "Perfect timing," Ron said caustically, trying to scrunch his lanky body behind the magically reinforced physical shield. "When did they get here?"

"Right after you left," said Hermione shortly. "We gave you as much time as we could. The D.A. has been following your battle plans exactly, Ron, herding most of the Death Eaters here in the Great Hall. No sign of Voldemort yet, Harry."

"Ah, that's why the Ministry was deserted," said Ron. "The guards and Aurors are probably trying to get here. They were on alert for McGonagall's signal, but if they didn't get here fast enough, the castle sealed the gates. We know how fast the Ministry moves." He snorted disgustedly. "Bet they're all sitting in Hogsmeade filling out paperwork."

"_Expelliarmus_!" Bellatrix screeched. Neville stumbled back as his wand arced through the air.

"_Diffindo_!" he cried, holding his empty hand out towards her, using the wand in his arm to slice her outstretched hand. "_Accio _wand!" He recaptured his wand mid-air and in a swishing downward motion, snarled "_Silencio_!"

Bellatrix shot him a murderous glare and managed a weak, silent _Crucio_, which he easily dodged.

His nonverbal Levicorpus had him grinning in triumph as she dangled upside down, causing observers to cringe at the sight of her black thong.

"Looks like you've got her under control, mate," Ron yelled, running to duck behind another table, Hermione at his heels. "Here's a roll of the twins' tape when you're ready to prep her for a little trip to Azkaban."

"_Expelliarmus_!" Neville casually caught her wand, shoving it in his pocket as he summoned a roll of tape from Ron. "_Stupefy_," he said for good measure and let her drop unceremoniously to the floor. "_Petrificus Totalus_. _Incarcerus_." He smiled grimly and took a bit of vindictive pleasure in securing her with the magically binding tape.

Ginny and Harry moved out from behind the table, facing three approaching Death Eaters. They worked seamlessly together, their movements as practiced and smooth as a dance.

The Death Eaters were all wearing robes and masks, so it was impossible to guess who they were battling. Harry thought he heard Lucius Malfoy's voice in Ron and Hermione's vicinity, but did not dare spare a glance until Ginny was binding the wrists and ankles of the three Death Eaters they'd taken down. He moved a few meters closer to get in position to help when he heard Ginny cry out in pain.

He spun on his heel, fearing the worst when he saw Ginny's prostrate form. "_Expelliarmus_!" he cried, snatching the wand that flew towards him. "Oh Merlin, no, please no!" He dashed the few steps to her side with his heart in his throat. One of the Death Eaters had not been entirely unconscious and apparently had a hidden wand. "_Stupefy_!" Harry snarled, ignoring the sick thud of the man's head as it impacted the hard floor.

The Death Eater had hit Ginny with a bludgeoning hex when she secured his ankles with tape. She must have thrown her arm up to ward off the hex, because it hit her watch before throwing her backwards. Relieved that she wasn't badly injured, Harry turned to the Death Eater who had unwisely hexed her before freeing his still-bound ankles. "_Vis vires transfero!"_ Harry growled, transferring the Death Eater's magical powers into the long, narrow device he had pulled from an inside pocket. It was now charged and ready. He pocketed the tube again and reached down to activate Ginny's methadone injector.

"Potter." Harry jerked his head up, hearing a voice he could never fail to recognize.

"You stream of bat's piss!" Harry snarled. "_Stupify_!" He used the curse nonverbally and wandlessly. His former professor, who had not even raised his wand in defense, crumpled to the ground.

Harry did not have time to bind Snape before he felt his scar throb. He whirled, heart pounding at the sight of Voldemort Disillusioning himself on the far side of the Great Hall. He could see Hermione and Ron nearby, fighting back to back, fiercely dueling a pair of Death Eaters. Harry sent nasty disabling hexes to assist. He stood over Ginny protectively as his friends rushed to his side. "Take her," he ordered, "She won't go otherwise." His eyes were fixed on the skeletal form looming nearer. "Please, I can't let him have her, take her somewhere safe."

Hermione and Ron shared a look. At Ron's nod, Hermione knelt at Ginny's side. "_Rennervate_," she said softly.

"_No_!" Harry cried desperately, "GO! All of you, please, just _GO_!" His eyes were fixed on Voldemort, who had paused his unhurried approach to Rennervate a few of his loyal servants. He did not lower himself to engage in battle or waste energy firing hexes, merely continued towards Harry; a hunter stalking his quarry.

Neville stood up, wand ready. After taking Bellatrix down, he had joined Luna, Charlie and Hannah, battling other Death Eaters. They all looked worse for the wear, but the trail of bound, cloaked wizards behind them bespoke successful teamwork. "We're ready, Harry," he said grimly. "We'll keep the dome powered. You do what you need to do."

Harry stared around the huge room with a sense of surreal detachment. Dobby and Winky were popping swiftly here and there, directing other elves and flinging swift elf magic wherever they could assist. Harry heard the swift _clip-clop_ of hooves and _twang_ of arrows as Firenze cantered somewhere in the Hall. Red flashes blazed where McGonagall and Flitwick were defending the school from behind the Head table. Hagrid was turning Death Eaters into pigs near the Slytherin end.

Other Order members had emerged through the cabinet and charged into the Great Hall, pairing up to take on the trapped Death Eaters. Fleur's enraged screech echoed as she flattened a robed figure who dared aim a wand at her precious Bill.

Kingsley and Mr. Weasley worked the perimeter with the D.A., picking off the Death Eaters like ducks in a pond.

Fred and George had expanded their arsenal to include Dark Mark-seeking mouth darts and were altogether too gleeful in their pursuit from their broomstick vantage points. They had even enlisted Peeves's assistance, and the three swooped and blasted darts with whoops of delight.

Lupin whipped a Densuego hex at Greyback, who yelped and scrambled for an exit. Tonks flew on her broom, leading an organized aerial advance, hurling curses like lightning from above. They had undoubtedly done their share of damage within enemy ranks.

The battle was well in hand. Harry's moment had arrived.

Ron and Hermione stood with Ginny while she quickly removed her watch and flexed her wrist. Harry caught her gaze, his own filled with despair and silent apologies before squaring his shoulders and turning away from her to face his nemesis. He took a deep steadying breath and stepped up to meet his adversary. He nonverbally threw the huge, hazy dome around himself and Voldemort. "Just you and me now,' he muttered, not realizing Ginny had moved up behind him.

"Potter," Voldemort spat. "How nice of you to bring your little tramp. I'm in a generous mood, so I will allow you to watch while I kill her first. Then I will tear down your pathetic excuse of a trap and make you watch while I tear every one of your precious Order members limb from limb."

Harry's heart sank as he realized Ginny was behind him. Still, he refused to take his eyes off Voldemort. Accepting the inevitable, he slipped the phial of his mother's potion from his pocket. He held it out to Ginny behind his back without looking at her. "Lock and load," he said quietly, feeling her trembling fingers take the potion from his hand.

"_Courage is being afraid, but doing the right thing anyway_," she whispered as she stepped up to take her place beside him.

Harry shielded her wandlessly with his left hand, trading curses with the wand in his right and keeping up a constant stream of insults. She pulled an arrow from her quiver, loading the hollow tip with potion. She slid the arrow back in the quiver and drew her wand.

Ginny nudged Harry, signaling her readiness. He dropped his shield and she cast her strongest _Reducto_ curse. She and Harry worked together, throwing hexes and conjuring shields. Ginny tried to hurl curses faster to keep Voldemort on the defensive and give Harry time to prepare himself. Suddenly, Ginny swore and rolled to the floor as one of Voldemort's _Crucio_ curses broke her shield. The methadone coursing through her system kept the pain manageable, and Voldemort snarled when she refused to scream. He reapplied the curse angrily, giving Harry an opportunity. "_Contrissssssto_," Harry whispered, sending the nondescript gray spell snaking along the floor, where it connected with Voldemort's foot, escaping his notice.

Harry quickly conjured a stone shield to interrupt the curse on Ginny, immediately followed by a _Protego_ to protect them both from the explosion of flying rubble. Ginny recovered from the Cruciatus curse and unslung a silver bow from her shoulder, holding it in her left hand while they ducked the hail of shrapnel. She resumed casting _Diffindo, Reducto, Langlock, Petrificus Totalus_, and anything else she could think of, even _Scourgify_ to keep Voldemort shielding rather than cursing, trying to buy Harry time.

Harry ducked behind another conjured stone shield to concentrate on building up magical energy while Ginny held Voldemort's attention for a few precious moments.

Voldemort taunted Ginny, toying with her like a cat with a mouse, and she played along, switching from offensive to defensive, distracting him from what Harry was doing, ducking and dodging; flinging curses as often as she could.

"I grow weary of this game, worthless blood traitor!" Voldemort hissed after his cutting hex failed to break through her defenses. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

"No!" Harry screamed, leaping to his feet to fling a shield in front of her. The panic and adrenalin flooding through him contributed to his broadcast of a vision so intense it immobilized the last of the Death Eaters nearby. In a blaze of shocking white light, the image of Albus Dumbledore filled their minds, accompanied by ringing phoenix song, and indeed, Fawkes appeared above the dome. In the split second Voldemort faltered, Ginny stood up behind the stone shield that had taken the weak killing curse, deftly drawing the arrow in the bow.

Harry uttered the only incantation he could use to end Voldemort's reign of terror. "_Adhadda Kedhabhra!"_ he said, his voice steady.

Ginny's arrow struck at the same instant and protruded from Voldemort's chest. Harry's ancient spell, originally designed for exorcism and healing, reacted with the potion. With the _whooshing _sound of a hearth fire being lit, Voldemort's body was enveloped in shimmering white light. His face froze in an expression of horrified confusion; mouth forming a silent scream.

Voldemort's impure, tarnished fragment of a soul was painstakingly extracted from the body he'd created with mismatched parts. Harry's blood swirled into a white mist which rose and drifted through the ceiling of the domed shield. The old Muggle bones crumbled into dusty powder and disappeared through the floor. Flesh hissed as it melted, congealing into a puddle. Ginny hastily reached to retrieve the long white tube from Harry. She opened the soul catcher Hermione had designed and chanted the summoning spell to trap the soul inside. The floating red phantasm fought, but she determinedly recast the spell over and over, drawing it gradually closer. Harry placed his hand over hers and chanted with her. Finally the tube made contact and sucked the specter inside, causing it to glow brilliantly white for a split second. Ginny wasted no time replacing the cedar plug and casting several sealing and Unbreakable Charms. Harry added more in Parseltongue. Before dispelling the dome shield, he _Accioed_ Voldemort's wand from the floor where it had fallen and tucked it in his pocket.

"Harry!" Ginny threw her arms around him. "Oh Harry, we did it! He's gone!" He held her close for a moment, nearly sinking to the floor in the tide of exhausted relief that washed over him.

"It's not over," he said tiredly. "There's still work to do. This time, none of his servants can be left to resurrect him. We need to get them now, before they get away. And there's still at least one Horcrux out there, but that isn't as urgent as rounding up the Death Eaters. The castle will help us, just like Ron and McGonagall planned."

His brow furrowed as he surveyed the Great Hall, scanning each of the unmasked Death Eater's faces. Prickly dread and suspicion crept up his spine, causing the hair on the back of his neck to rise. "Where's Lupin? I need to find him. Ginny, please stay here with Ron and Hermione. We need to account for as many Death Eaters as possible." He hastily handed Hermione the carved wooden receptacle of Voldemort's soul and set off for the double doors.

Harry found Lupin in the hallway, crouched near the still, bound form of Fenrir Greyback. Tonks was tending some rather deep cuts on Lupin's arm and chest.

"Harry! Is it over? Are you okay?" Tonks asked swiftly, searchingly.

"Well, Voldemort's been sucked into a soul catcher, but I still have a very bad feeling," Harry said ominously. "I'm afraid we're missing a few Death Eaters." He turned back to Lupin. "Are you alright, Professor? Where are the Aurors?"

"Hogwarts was sealed," Lupin answered. "No one could get in or out except through the cabinet. That should change now, though. I'm sure they'll be here any moment. They'll be upset at missing the action, but they can do the dirty work and haul the prisoners to Azkaban."

"Brilliant flying," Harry grinned at Tonks.

"Thank you," Tonks flushed as pink as her hair. "Remus didn't want me near the battle, but I insisted on helping, so we found a way to compromise. I'm less clumsy in the air, and I'm wearing so much shield armor I think I could deflect a killing curse."

Harry nodded at first, but then fixed her with a narrow-eyed stare. "You're an Auror, why would you agree to stay out of the battle?"

Tonks' eyes widened and she glanced to Lupin for help. He just smiled a bit smugly and shrugged.

"Oh fine," she huffed. "Not like we'd be able to keep it a secret long anyway. I'm officially on leave as an Auror." She scowled at Harry's raised brows, then rolled her eyes with a huff. "Yes, you're finally going to get that little cousin you've always wanted. Let that be a lesson to you. Never use another wizard's wand for important spells."

"You owe me two galleons," Lupin chuckled.

Tonks snorted. "Hermione probably had it figured out as soon as she saw me."

"Yes, but Harry voiced his suspicions first," Lupin shrugged.

Harry shook his head at Lupin in disbelief. "You bet that I would notice something like this before Hermione?"

Lupin raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "And you did."

Harry just shook his head. "Congratulations. Really, that's fantastic." He patted them awkwardly on their shoulders and continued his search.

* * *

Ron and Neville were immobilizing the few remaining Death Eaters, managing without much difficulty. They levitated the bound wizards, lining them up against a wall. Then they began using Hermione's _Vis vires transfero_ spell to systematically drain the Death Eaters' powers into magical batteries. "What are they going to use all these batteries for, anyway?" Neville asked. 

"Hermione designed new wards for Azkaban," Ron smiled darkly. "These will help keep the prisoners _contained_ now that the dementors are gone."

"What happens if someone is innocent, like Sirius?" Neville asked, handing Ron another battery.

"Well, that's the beauty of the _Vis vires_ spell," Ron shrugged. "It won't work if the bond between the magical core and soul is pure. Every time someone successfully uses a dark curse to hurt or kill someone, it damages the magic/soul bond. It doesn't weaken a wizard's power, just the bond, so it makes it easier to separate it from his soul and drain the magical core. Acts of retribution would have tied their magic back to their souls, but I imagine with this lot, we won't see much of that."

"Didn't Harry use this power draining spell on Tonks?" Neville thought back to the training skirmish when Tonks had pretended to be Bellatrix.

"No," Ron shook his head. "He'd used the Contristo spell to sap her energy, and then a plain Transfero spell to drain it into a rock. That was just her magical _energy_, not actual power. Tonks' energy would've come back eventually even if he hadn't transferred it back, but these bastards are now squibs," he grinned maliciously. "Harry didn't want any room for error after that battle with Tonks. He was afraid of hurting innocent people again. So Hermione created this version. If someone is under the Imperius it won't drain their powers either. They performed curses against their will, so it didn't affect the bond."

Hannah and Luna had finished binding Death Eaters with anti-magic gaffer tape and began levitating them over to the wall with the rest. Their group had been outnumbered yet managed to prevail, though not entirely unscathed. Thankfully, none of the injuries were serious. Ginny's wrist might have been sprained, but the methadone kept the pain under control. Lupin was limping, and most of the others sported various cuts and bruises. Charlie joined his mother and Madam Pomfrey tending the injured. He'd become quite proficient with healing spells during his time tending dragons.

Truly, the Death Eaters had been overconfident and underpracticed. For a group of young adults who had spent most of the past year in rigorous training and preparation, it had not been much of a contest. Most of them had second wands fused in their forearms, giving them a distinct advantage.

Fred and George's inventions, the Order, and even some departments from the Ministry had been cutting Voldemort's supporters down for nearly a year. Mr. and Mrs. Granger's ideas had largely eliminated the dementors and giants. Vampires had never been interested in joining Voldemort, as he had nothing to offer them and nothing to hold over them. The werewolves, once they realized they had other options, mostly left his service, taking their families to go into hiding.

Harry paced uneasily. _If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush_, he remembered Moody's sage advice. Still, there was nothing, no sign of any other activity. He began to scout the perimeter, ducking down another hallway, losing sight of the others. "_What happened to Snape after I stunned him? Did he get away? What about Malfoy? And that dratted snake?"_

He caught a flash out of the corner of his eyes and reflexively threw out a shield. It was easily pushed aside and Harry found himself in a body bind curse, but had the ability to move from the neck up.

"You like it? My own special variation, you see. It leaves the victim with the ability to scream," said the familiar voice behind the hood. "For you, I may need to make an exception."

Harry kept silent, his brain working furiously.

"You know what kind of power there is in anonymity, Potter?" the Death Eater sneered. "No, of course not. You never have. You are the bloody Boy Who Lived, after all. Let me enlighten you. When you spend your life in the shadows, you learn a lot of things that can easily be turned to your advantage. The proper show of obedience makes a person overlooked and underestimated. The impression of servitude is all too easily done," he boasted lazily. "People are easily fooled. Especially fools who believe there's good in everyone, like Dumbledore and your mother."

Harry glared, "_You_ were in Godric's Hollow the night Voldemort killed my parents."

"Oh, good show, boy," was the caustic reply. "Just deduced that now?" The voice turned oily. "Have you also discovered the reason the Dark Lord would have let your mother live?" He knelt down and taunted Harry. "Oh yes, she would have made an amusing plaything for my enjoyment. Unfortunately, she refused to comply with simple logic, so…" he shrugged carelessly.

"I'll kill you," Harry snarled.

"You cannot kill me," the wizard scoffed. "I am immortal. I have spent enough time in the shadows. I have grown tired of other, less-capable wizards taking credit for my efforts. The time has come for true greatness to be recognized. I suppose I must thank you for disposing of that foppish fool styling himself as the Dark Lord. He had outlived his usefulness. His name and reputation were all I needed for a time. Now, I will prove my supremacy."

"What did you mean, _immortal_?" Harry interrupted.

"You are dense, boy!" was the scathing reply. "Immortal means I am a god. I cannot die!"

"I know what it means," Harry said quietly. "But didn't Voldemort believe he was immortal as well?"

"Ah, back to him again, when I want to talk about myself," the irritable Death Eater shook his head. "Voldemort became short-sighted and stupid. He made too many Horcruxes, the greedy bastard. It weakened him. And then to insist on using _your_ blood, which was essentially poison, only strengthened the bond he shared with you. Nearly drove him to the brink of insanity. He was downing potions by the cauldronful the past few months, trying to rid himself of the headaches and visions with which you were constantly bombarding him. If you hadn't finished him tonight, he would have overdosed on strengthening solution or dreamless sleep potion eventually. And he used the bone from his father, his _Muggle_ father? No hidden power source, that. Finally, the flesh of the loyal servant, well, that's just laughable, isn't it?" he snorted derisively.

"So, you had a secret thing for my mum all along?" Harry asked, jaw clenched in disgust.

"Oh, she could have provided some entertainment. It would have been more rewarding had your father been alive to watch. He was such a smug, arrogant bastard. He had everything. I would have enjoyed rubbing his face in the fact that _I_ took it all away."

"_Voldemort_ took it away," Harry said bitterly. "Not you."

Losing patience, the man screamed, "NO, it was _MY_ plan, _MY_ doing! _Voldemort_ disappeared for over a dozen years! Even his resurrection was part of my plot! It was carefully planned and orchestrated. Voldemort was _nothing_ without me. And _you_ have just proven his ineffectuality yet again," he sniffed coldly, collecting himself. "Twice he has been defeated by a mere child."

"What did you know of his Horcruxes?" Harry asked apruptly, keeping him talking.

"I know they don't matter if no one helps the fool resurrect himself again," he said loftily. "And knowing your penchant for saving the world, you have probably disposed of most of them already, which left him hanging by the merest of threads."

"We weren't sure how many he ended up creating," Harry said. "We destroyed four."

"You did not find the cup, I'm sure. He sent that one back in time to Salazar Slytherin in the belly of a snake. It caused the contention between the founders when it took possession of Slytherin, which was why he was driven from the castle. You did your duty then, destroying the rest. His aspiration was to split his soul in seven pieces. He succeeded creating the first five Horcruxes. You were to be his sixth and final Horcrux."

"What do you mean, I was to _be_ his final Horcrux?" Harry frowned, "He meant to create his last one with my death."

"Alas, no, that was one idea he had that did have merit," the warlock mused. "He wanted to split his soul by killing you, and then do the switching spell to anchor _his_ soul piece in your empty shell of a body. Had he succeeded, he would have rebirthed himself, essentially. As it was, your own stubborn soul refused to budge. Your mother had seen to that. However, you _had_ been prepared as a Horcrux vessel. When he performed the killing curse and it backfired, leaving him in vapor form, he attempted to take possession of your body by removing your soul from the inside. That may have worked, but by then, his small bit of remaining soul was no match for your mother's ancient magic or your own soul. All he left behind were some of the innate talents he himself was born with."

"Is that what you did to become immortal?" Harry asked, sickened.

"Ah, wondering which of your little friends you would have to kill to rid the world of the next evil menace? Thinking about which schoolmate possesses only half a soul?" he taunted nastily. "Do you think I would have been stupid enough to make it that obvious?" The wizard had removed his mask and stared at Harry spitefully. "You'll be dead soon. I suppose it won't matter if I tell you. As you realize, I am rather skilled with mental magic. Combined with judicious use of memory charms, I have the ability to make people believe things that never happened. Or forget things that _have_ happened.

"Now you see, this is where I perfected Voldemort's plan. I knew as much of the prophesy as he did, but I disagreed with his choice and his method. I thought a pureblood child would be more suitable. A pureblood would never be subject to the same prejudices as a half-blood. And rather than replace his entire soul with a fragment of my own, I split his as well and bound it to mine. I took some of his innocence, purity and the protection of his mother's love. I bound half of my soul to his, and Obliviated him. Obviously, my adult soul would have been out of place in an infant. My flawless plan could not have worked better. He is truly, and dangerously, underestimated and has been all of his life. He has a faulty memory and bumbling disposition. No one would ever suspect. And neither of us can die, because we are bound to each other. If either of us is killed, the souls will find their other halves and re-merge. I could easily reverse the memory charm from within his body if I am killed in this body. If he is killed first, I would merely unbind his soul from mine and repeat the process with some other child."

"How could you split a child's soul?" Harry was disgusted.

"Very easily," was the scathing response. "Imperius curse and a nearby grandfather."

Harry had been struggling against the body bind curse until he finally focused enough for his nonverbal countercurse to work. He remained still, not wanting to alert his captor.

A sudden scrabbling noise beyond the door caused the evil wizard to glance away. As the door swung slowly open, a large, ginger cat wandered in. "Prrrrrowwl?"

"Crookshanks, go back, get out of here," Harry whispered urgently, wishing he spoke cat instead of snake.

"Ah, the mudblood's cat," the dark wizard said distastefully. "I hate that damned ugly beast."

Crookshanks turned his squashed face to the wizard and hissed. The Death Eater shot a vicious cutting hex at the cat, but Crookshanks's reflexes were faster. He scrambled up the Death Eater's robes; slashing, clawing and biting as only a half kneazle on a mission could. A wand clattered to the floor.

"_Evanesco_," Harry whispered, banishing the evil wizard's wand where it had fallen. "Crookshanks, you deserve an Order of Merlin for this," he muttered fervently, "but I can't let that bastard hurt you or Hermione will have my hide. _Mobilicattus_!" He deftly lifted Crookshanks away from the scuffle and set him gently on the floor near the door. "GO!" he shouted, but Crookshanks gave him the same look of defiance and determination Hermione often did and stalked right back into the room, crouching low, his bottle-brush tail flicking back and forth.

Harry was afraid to hit the Death Eater with a curse that could potentially separate his soul from his body. He guessed the child the bastard had committed such atrocities against was Neville. Harry knew Neville could see thestrals because he'd seen his grandfather die, but he'd had never asked for details. Harry was sickened to think part of the torture the Longbottoms had suffered was witnessing the soul mutilation of their toddler son by this sick, twisted bastard. Neville had endured enough. Harry refused to subject him a fight for his very soul.

_"Obliviate_!" Harry threw the spell, knowing his inexperience with it would probably render the wizard as mentally deficient as Lockhart.

The spell struck the Death Eater mid-transformation, just as Crookshanks pounced.

"NO! Crookshanks!" Harry tore down the hallway, into the Great Hall after the cat and the squirming, beady-eyed creature clamped tightly in his jaws.

"_Herpestidae edwardsii!"_ Harry's trainers screeched to a stop when he heard Hermione scream the jinx and turned to see it hit Malfoy, who had been backed into a corner by Nagini.

"Hermione! Where's Crookshanks?" he panted, pausing to watch the effects of her jinx in morbid fascination. "Moody teach you that one?"

"No," her eyes glittered as she watched the struggle. "Rudyard Kipling. What do you want with Crookshanks?"

Harry hurriedly explained the urgent need to catch Hermione's cat as Ron and Ginny loped up.

"Oh Harry, just Accio him!"

"No! What if he drops the dark wannabe?"

"Can't you just Accio the bastard then?" Ron asked.

"D'you think there'd be much left of him after being dragged through a cat's jaws and claws?" Harry asked. "Hurry, we've got to find them."

* * *

"So you said you Obliviated him before he transformed?" Hermione queried, prizing the stunned creature from her cat's jaws of death. 

"Yeah, but I don't know how successful I was," Harry said doubtfully. "I've never used that spell before."

"And he has half of Neville's soul in him…" she shook her head. "I don't know how we'll extract that."

"Maybe we should do a complete mind-wipe on him and just let Neville keep him for a pet," Ron suggested.

"If we make the Animagus change permanent, that might work," Ginny pondered. "For now, let's just put him in an unbreakable jar like you did with Rita Skeeter."

After watching Hermione carefully set the large conjured jar next to the soulcatcher, Harry turned to observe Malfoy and Nagini behind them. "So, Kipling, you said? I thought he wrote _Jungle Book_." He snickered, thinking he ought to suggest Mowgli as a name to Tonks and Lupin.

"He also wrote _Rikki Tikki Tavi_," Hermione said rather smugly. "The little mongoose who killed two oddly named cobras – Nag and Nagaina. I thought a little transfiguration reenaction would be a bit of poetic justice."

"That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on! And yet… Malfoy the Mongoose," Ron tilted his head thoughtfully. "It does have a certain ring to it, doesn't it? Not quite the same as Malfoy the Amazing Bouncing Ferret, or Malferret, or…"

"Right, we get the idea Ronald, thank you," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to turn him back in exchange for killing the snake?" Ginny asked idly.

"Oh, I suppose," Hermione sighed a bit regretfully. "Though I may have a better idea…" her eyes narrowed and she grinned conspiratorially at Ginny. "Remember that hypnotist we watched on the telly once? Every time the guy heard someone sneeze, he'd cluck like a chicken? I believe Malfoy should turn into a mongoose whenever someone, including himself, says _Mudblood_."

Ginny giggled and watched her friend perform a tricky little spell before changing Malfoy back.

"And what will he have to do to turn back?" she asked.

"Kiss his own arse as a reminder that his fecal matter has an odor," Hermione's glare was hard as steel.

* * *

"Well, you aren't as good a pet as Trevor," said Neville thoughtfully, staring through the glass into a pair of beady black eyes. "But I guess you'll have to do until we can figure out how to get my soul back, and turn yours into plant fertilizer. Dragon dung is the best kind." Hannah gave him an encouraging smile and took his hand, heading for the library, leaving Scabbers the silver-pawed rat to spin on his exercise wheel. 

"_This finally explains why I could read Harry's book_," Neville thought, smiling back at his sweet blonde girlfriend.

* * *

Harry wandered into the DADA classroom after completing his NEWTs. A man in flowing black robes was seated behind the desk. 

"Hi," Harry said quietly as he approached. "I just wanted to thank you for trying to protect my mum, and then me, over the years. I've read her diary, and I know you were friends. I should have accepted Dumbledore's faith in you a long time ago. And thanks for grabbing the watches, necklace and my mum's ring from Pettigrew. I know you put that box in my vault. You left that note in your old potions book about Pettigrew being a petty thief, too. Took me awhile, but I figured out the connection.

"Pettigrew said you were giving Voldemort a lot of potions. Hermione is guessing you added arsenic or strychnine – some Muggle poison he couldn't detect with magic. She also remembered that you helped her when Voldemort kidnapped her. The note to McGonagall came from you as well, didn't it? You've taken a lot of risks."

Professor Snape met his gaze, but said nothing.

"I reckon that one-year-Defense professorship curse has been broken," Harry smiled. "But if you ever need someone to fill in, send me an owl. And sir, when I say that you are like a stream of bat's piss, I only mean that you shine out like a shaft of gold when all around it is dark." He was rewarded by a very slight upward quirk of a dark brow.

Harry paused on his way out the door. "Oh, and watch out for that quill Umbitch left in the desk. It'll leave a scar."

_Fin _

* * *

A/N: The bat's piss quote is from Monty Python. I know it doesn't really make a lot of sense, but it makes me laugh, so I included it. ;) There are a couple others in this chapter too, so if you are looking at something Fleur or Ron said about elderberries or rodents... they've spent some time in front of the telly is all. ;) 

I'm considering a sequel, so if there are questions or loose ends you've found you'd like answered, please let me know in a review or PM so I can start compiling ideas for another segment.

I just noticed yesterday that I started posting this on the Ides of March, and finished it on JKR/Harry's bday. Completely unintentionally. Cool coincidence, I think!

Thanks for reading!

* * *

Thanks again to my AWESOME reviewers - many of whom offered great ideas, questions, suggestions and Monty Python quotes throughout the story! I really couldn't have done it without you. You are the best of the best, and definitely have earned the rank you deserve as the top 12 percent of Fanfiction dot net readers. 

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